The ending of this journey

Well, here we are and it’s the end of the 5 month journey that I have been blogging about. Having said that, I guess it’s time to let the cat out of the bag as to what this whole 5 month journey was all about and what it was for. When I started it, I was attempting to go from 177 lbs down to 160 lbs. Why try and lose 17 lbs in 5 months? Because that would have been exactly 150 lbs lost since the date of my surgery, and would have been a total of 200 lbs lost since I started even thinking about having my surgery.I wanted to see if I could in fact accomplish that. 

So how did I do? Well, to be honest, I gained 7 lbs throughout the whole 5 months. I tried cardio, strict diet, meal plans, etc etc. No matter what I tried, my body just didn't want to let go of the unwanted 17 lbs. I finally stopped being so hard nosed about losing the weight, and changed my mindset to trying to tone up. However, I truly think that the added extra weight is muscle as I have been training for my next adventure, and I’ve been training hard, and I haven’t been doing any cardio either. 

This expirience has been amazing. I've learned quite a bit, done a lot of reading, and asking questions of people, and seeing what I'm truly capable of doing. I will definately be using a lot of what I've learned as a foundation for myself for years to come. I only hope that I will be able to pass on my knowledge to others when the time comes up for it.

However, during these past 5 months, I have gained not only in the gym, but as a person too. I have had the honor and pleasure of getting to know some very wonderful people, and get re-acquainted with old friends from my youth.  I’ve been blessed by a few people who have made wonderful transitions in their life and have chosen to live a healthier lifestyle. To say that I am proud of them for their successes would be such an understatement. They have pushed themselves harder than they imagined they could, or ever dreamed of, and they are seeing the benefits from doing so. The mere fact and notion that they have chosen to share their successes and trials with me is very humbling and appreciated.

These people are just some of the few reasons that I decided to create the Lazarus page on Facebook. Some of you are familiar with why I made the page, and what it’s for. If you are unsure, you can either contact me or go look at it for yourself. Also, I am working on building a website for the whole Lazarus project as well. When that is all accomplished, I will be making it known.

About mid December this past year, as I was working out in the gym, I came up with some major goals and plans for this year. One of them is to be able to help others more, and try to inspire them and motivate them to better their own lives to live a healthier lifestyle. If THEY so want it. As an obese and out of shape individual for most of my life, I know how I felt when people would automatically offer suggestions when it was unsolicited on how I could be skinnier. Understanding what that feeling and emotion is like, I decided right then and there, that I would make a conscious effort to not do that to others. However, if people ask me questions, I will do everything I can to answer them honestly and truthfully, and if I didn’t know, I would make every effort to find out.

Another goal/plan that I came up for this year is to get bigger. Not only in muscle, but in helping spread the word of companies that have helped me be so successful during my journey. Whether it was right before/ right after my surgery up to current day or whether I started to use / believe in a particular product just a few short days ago. The companies that have truly helped me out to get where not only I am now, but where I want to be by the end of this year are Nutrex Research, FatGripz, and Savage Sports Performance.  

My whole reasoning why I did what I did, have done what I have done, and do what I continue to do and try to do on a daily basis is to show people that there is hope.  That there is a way to better your life health wise and prove to them that anything and everything is possible. You just have to put the work in and go get it. These companies have just helped push me further than I ever thought possible.

Nutrex Research will always be given notice from me for a lot of my success in my weight loss. I’ve said this time and time again, YES I did have Gastric Bypass Surgery. YES I still would have lost weight regardless. HOWEVER, I know in my heart that not only do the Nutrex products help push me further in my weight loss, escalated it really, but they have also helped me supplement my daily protein needs that I could not have otherwise consumed due largely in part because of my surgery. Mr. David Waggoner is the pilot of Nutrex’s Facebook fan page.  He is an amazing representative of and for Nutrex. In my opinion, and from what I’ve seen, his job is very taxing, and extremely time consuming. Not only is he communicating with the fans of Nutrex, and answering their questions about the products, but he is also doing give-aways EVERY DAY, except for on Sunday's. To whit, that is ok, because even God himself rested on Sunday. On top of all of that, he also is doing his normal workload for his job in the office that he has to deal with, plus replying to emails, plus getting the free products out to the fans that have won, plus getting his gym time in, quietly motivating others with motivational images or sayings, and on and on. I often wonder how he ever has time to eat, let alone take care of any other business. I know for a fact that because of the Nutrex products that I use, they will be instrumental in fueling the inner fire to accomplish my 2 major plans for this year. Just as they have been for over the past 3 years now. So to you Mr. Nutrex guy, I say thank you for starting where I am at now in my knowledge of Nutrex products all because of a Hemo Rage UC Orange Creamation give-away.

FatGripz is a product that is unparalleled in design, effectiveness, and feasibility. Franco and Matt not only work on promoting their product, but they do give aways as well. One thing that I have especially noticed is that they don’t try and sell the product. They let other customers who daily; DAILY, post comments about their appreciation of the product and its effectiveness, speak for the product. To me, they are using the “ hey, don’t take our word for it, see what others have to say about it “ thought. The product truly does speak for itself. I will admit, I was skeptical at first when I got mine back at the end of December. Then I used them. All Skepticism was gone, and I was overtaken with belief and pain. Yes, I hurt for the first few days after using these, but that is what happens when you use muscles you didn’t even realize you had. So to Franco and Matt, thank you as well for replying to my emails, my thoughts, my comments, and allowing me to post a video review of the product.

Now we have Savage Sports Performance. Now, I am still newly associated with these wonderful people. They offer a wide variety of services of training ranging from new to the gym all the way to training specialized towards Strongman competitions. They are both motivationally driven and mentally tough people. However, they are extremely kind hearted. They revel in the success of others. I am so thankful to my good friend Chris Pluhacek for mentioning them and suggesting this business to his Iron Spartan nation. It is my prayer that others will realize and UTILIZE this business.

There have been so many people that have been the backbone of the support that has been given towards me throughout this entire journey. Not only these past 5 months, but these past 2 years as well. I honestly think I could do a whole blog just dedicated to nothing but naming all of those that have been so instrumental as a voice of support and strength that have helped push me. My wife is and has to be first and foremost. She has to deal with my everyday moans and groans, my dietary gripes, and other complaints that I have. But she has also been there in my successes and my happy moments.  Next would have to be an individual I'd consider a dear friend, mentor, and whom I’d call my trainer. Chris Pluhacek. He’s been there to offer advice, suggestions, critiques and words of encouragement, and he pushes me that extra bit because he knows it’s what I need, and that I can do it. Thank you Chris. Forever I am in your debt. I also want to give an added extra thank you to David Waggoner for his support and strength as a friend on a personal level, not just a professional level. Next would have to be a few friends from our high school days. Cimmaron, Jennifer, Selena, Kelly, Christina, Tony, and Gaby.  These friends have been there, supporting me with words of encouragment day in and day out. How could I ever think to not thank them? Now, I would  be ungrateful if I didn’t take a moment to mention Phil Sandeen, Denise Cechini, and Brian Hendricks. These 3 people are just absolutely amazing. They are diamonds in the rough. Precious metals unfounded in the humdrum of the daily grind. Thank you for being there.

I know I have thanked these people a million times over, and I’ll continue to thank each of these people a million times more. Without these individuals, and many others, I would never have achieved the success that I have gained thus far, and continue to gain.

So, what’s in store now that this 5 month journey is over? Well, I have 2 major plans for this year. One of them I will tell you about, the other, well I'm just not ready to let the cat out of the bag on that one yet. So, the first one is I have a goal to accomplish a 300/300/300 this year. A 300 lb bench press, a 300 lb deadlift, and a 300 lb squat. The second plan is more so a journey than a plan. It's a goal. It's a journey with a new path that I have yet to pave, but many others have paved before me. The training is going to be intense. The training is not going to be easy, but the rewards will be monumental; at least to me they will be.

As I stated earlier in this blog, I came up with an idea this past December that I wanted to go bigger. In so doing, and in order to accomplish that, I know that I must surround myself around those that have the same kind of goals in life that I have, and that I need to learn from them, and then get to work. I feel that I am on the correct path thus far in doing so.

In closing, I want to leave each and everyone of you with the idea to do the same for yourself. Surround yourself around people who help you to want to better yourself. If you have people who promote negativity or drama, either control their influence in your life, or just simply remove them from your life.  Don’t let people hold you back from bettering your life. We each deserve better than that.

I love each and everyone of you, and each of you have and play an influential part in my life, whether you know it or not.

6 January 2012

     So I am about 2 weeks or so late on posting a blog. I know, I understand, and I'm sorry. There has been quite a bit to talk about and to fill y'all the readers in on. However, I took into 2 major considerations:
    1) Christmas Week.
    2) New Year's festivities.
     I have all intentions to get the current blog posted on Sunday, if not first thing Monday morning. Till that time, stay tuned, read past entries, and sit patiently for the new one to come out!
     Love ya guys!

Dec 4-Dec 11, Day 34-41

      So another week has passed us by. Has it been good for you? It's been wonderful on my end.
      I decided to take another week of resting. No weight training, no cardio, and just watching my intake and portion control. No weight gained, no weight lost. For once in this diet, I am ok with that. I added yet again, another supplement to my diet. Prenatal pills. Yes, you read that right, prenatal pills. They are so laced in vitamins and minerals that are healthy and good for you. They are a one a day dosage, so I am getting just the right amounts. I've also decided to let the cat out of the bag as it were on the other supplement that I've added to my regiment that I have been keeping so quiet about for so long. It's chromium picolinate. It's a metabolism booster, and I could tell within the first 48 hours of being on it, that things were changing. I found my brain wanting me to feed my belly more, but yet, I wasn't actually hungry. So what are some of the gains that I've seen from this chromium you might ask? Well, I have noticed that my pants are fitting loser in the midsection. I'm also noticing a change in my physique as well. Tone and definition are starting to make themselves manifest more as a lot of the after effects of my surgery are starting to fade away.
       That has been the hardest thing for me to have to overcome physcologically this past year and change. When I look in the mirror and I see indentations in my face where my cheeks are, and around my eyes, and not see a rotund face with pudge.. yeah, I can notice and tell a difference in the weight loss. When I put my size 34 jeans on and remember that not too long ago I was wearing size 50's, yeah I can see the change in my weight loss. When I struggle with wearing a large because it fits a lil too tight around where my belly is, but that an XL size shirt is too big, yeah I can tell a difference because  I used to be in 3X+ size shirts.
       However, when I look down towards the ground and see the residual fat that is left over around my belly because of how much weight I lost in the short amount of time, I still see the old Shane, mentally. I've looked down at that large belly for so many years, that I still see it now. It too, can be changed, however finding the extra $5000-$6000 to pay for it is like trying to find a New York City cab in Las Vegas, Nevada. Though possible, its rather difficult. That has to be one of my ultimate biggest gripes with regards to insurance companies and gastric bypass surgery. Oh sure, they will pay the $20-25k for you to have the surgery for a better, healthier life, but the after care if you will, they consider cosmetic. Residual skin is going to be a side effect. Especially with my kind of surgery that I had.
         Sorry, got off on a tangent there. Anyhow, yeah, having to deal with the physcologically after effects of my surgery often times make me digress back to mentally thinking that I have not lost an ounce of weight, and that I'm still the old fat shane.
       On a good note though, I am going to be making a video of my training for Nutrex's Hemo Rage page. You can find it  HERE . They have a monthly drawing if you will of people who post video's, and amoung the people who put video's up, they have a prize for each of the first 4 or 5 places. So, with Melissa's help, I'll be making the video here soon and posting it on that website by 1 Jan. I'll also post it on this as well. My prayer at that time, once I've posted it, is that I can get y'alls help and support by going to the video and voting for it. Voting can be done every 24 hours and even by different ip addresses ( ie comps, laptops, smart phones, etc etc! )
       Now onto nutrition and diet. Melissa has been expierimenting lately with different receipes for my wraps, and I must admit, they have all been damn good. She made a carna asada wrap tonight for my supper, and suprisingly, it was really good. I'm still eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and doing water, water, water.
        I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing.

Nov 20-Dec 2. Days 20-32

   So, here we are again, meeting once again in between a good size duration of separation. For that, I whole heartily, like every other time, apologize. Doing a daily blog on things that for the most part are going to be absolutely boring to you as the reader, will eventually kill any and all desire from others to want to see what I am doing and what progress I am making or not making. So, with that, I have decided to go to a once a week blog. My intention is to have it posted on Sundays, to basically recap the week prior. The only difference that SHOULD be affecting this plan is the Sunday Dec 4th post. After I post todays blog, I don't see a need to post another one the very next day with menial information just to help me get on the course that I am needing to be on. So, having said that, after this blog post, my next one will be on Dec. 11th.
    So, to start things off, it's glad to be back. I'm excited that the Thanksgiving holidays are over simply because of all the food that people put in front of you. It makes it hard to stay on course of a diet when you have a buffet of food at your disposal. I planned a head however, and I made Thanksgiving Day my cheat day. That way, I could eat with family and friends, and not have any guilt.
     I'm sure a few who have read this are possibly concerned about my progression. Most likely, I will be posting some new pictures here in the near future, as an up to date picture more or less. However, lets talk about the progression aspect. Weight wise, I have not lost any more weight on the scale. However, changes have been noticed tremendously. More definition in the body for sure. A more defined appearance. My britches are fitting a lot looser now as well. I think I may have lost an inch or two in the waist easily. Talking to a friend of mine, he took one of the supplements that I am currently using, and within a 6 month period of time, by adding this one supplement into his daily life, he lost 4 inches in his waist, and never once exercised during that time frame. What is this new supplement you are asking yourself? Well, I am still going to keep that to myself for a little while longer to see if it is truly working for me as I am thinking it is.
     As I may have stated earlier, an individual that I hold very dear to my heart not only as a mentor, but that I call a dear friend explained to me that I need to get over the whole weight thing as a number. I need to look at it as how do I look in the mirror and how are my clothes fitting me. Especially since muscle weighs roughly 3 times more than fat does. SO, I pose the rhetorical question. Would I weigh even less than what the scales says I do now, if I didn't have the muscle I do now? If so, how much less would I weigh?
      Now, lets talk about the progression in the gym. Major milestones have been taking place folks, Major milestones. I've set new PR's ( personal records ) in shoulder shrugs, leg presses, fore-arm curls, leg extensions, preacher curls, bi-cep curls, tricep push downs, tricep pull downs, and I'm sure there are more too, but I've been setting some new ones so much, that I can't even remember them all! My shoulder shrug alone was merely impressive to me. I went from 90 lb dumbbells to 95 lbs. Wow, you might say.. a whopping 5 lbs. Yeah, but 2-3 weeks ago I was doing only 80 lbs. My leg press, I jumped up crazily! A week ago, I was only doing 240 lbs. My last leg day ( this past tuesday ) I was doing 300 lbs @ 3 x 10.
    I've been working on my lower body a lot lately, as with my core/lower back. Why the lower body so much? Well, a few things. I found myself being like a lot of other guys who only work out mostly what people call the " mirror muscles " ( meaning upper body ) and getting my lower body muscles from doing the running/cardio etc. However, as I sat around and thought about it and read some articles, I would benefit greatly from working my lower body muscles in a few ways. 1) for my job, I am required to do a run. Having stronger leg muscles should indicate that I would be able to run faster, or at least have a better stride due to the muscles being able to push harder. 2) Some of the largest single group muscles are in your lower body ( quads/hams/calves ). A good way to burn more calories, with weight training, and dieting, is to have the muscles burn more energy by having to repair themselves more, therefore your caloric burning lasts longer, ultimately losing body fat. 3) I really don't want to be off proportion when in the summer time I'm wearing shorts, and I have this decent upper body, and two toothpicks for legs! HAHA.
     The diet is still going well. Still sticking to the same foods, just changing them up some so I don't fall into a rut of a routine, and then fall down into the bottomless pit of boredom and then end up failing my diet, to which will end up in failing myself, and so many others who have looked to me for advice, and support, and who have themselves been extremely supportive to me in return. I won't do that to y'all, and so therefore I won't allow it to happen to myself. My staples are still the same though. Turkey, spinach, chicken, low carb tortillas, as pure as I can get wheat bread, with low calories/carbs as well. Lots and lots of water, occasionally the Monster Absolute Zero, a lot of fruits and vegetables, and as minimal of sugar as possible.
    A new item that I have added to my regime has been the adding of pre-natal pills. yes, I said pre-natal. They are saturated in minerals and vitamins. Things that the body needs in order to function at a normal level when trying to feed 2 ( meaning when a woman is pregnant and she is getting the minerals and vitamins that she and the baby need ).
     One last thing. I will talk about this next item, but realize that for those who know me, it could be construed as hypocrisy due to the fact that I have a hard time following it. It's rest. In order to see gains, you must give the body rest. You must sleep. It is one of the hardest things for me to do, mostly because I don't get much rest every day. Typically, I go on an average of about 4-6 hours. Sometimes less. However, if you want your body to receive gains overall, your muscles to recoup faster, and to see improvements, you have to get rest.
      On that note, I will close this blog for the past 12 days in saying, friends, family, and loved ones. Be good to yourself, be good to others. Let go of any drama that may be infecting your lives, and get rid of it. I am speaking from personal experience. Infested drama in our lives adds on weight and inches to our mid section. Drama in our lives is a cesspool of hate, disgust, negativity, and anger.

Day 18-19, Nov 18-19

    Friday, the 18th was suppossed to be my monday to getting back on to my diet regiment and work out scheme, however, I had a small voice in the back of my head remind me of something I have been told by others who have paved this path before. You have to listen to your body. If your body doesn't feel like being in the gym, don't force it. So, I ended up taking another cheat day and rest day, but I am still drinking a ton of water.
    As far as the new supplement that I have added into my diet, the only difference so far that I can tell thus far is an unquenchable hunger. I am constantly feeling hungry all the time, but I think that is my metabolism kicking into high gear personally. I am still eating my normal 5-7 meals a day, and still drinking close to a gallon of water a day as well, and I still feel hungry. It could be also because I've cut down a lot of my carb and sugar intake, as I have now leaned towards a sugar supplement made by stevia. You can find more about them at Stevia. It is a bit pricey vs the amount you get. The other product that I have been mentioning a lot lately is MIO. I truly enjoy this as it helps break up the boredom of just plain water, with zero consequences!

        Saturday Nov 19th, 2011... Today is my monday at work, so I didn't have any time pre-work to get to the gym. However, I am going after work and I'm feeling like doing legs with a 30-45 min cardio session post weight training. Meals for the day were a salad that had hard boiled eggs, spinach, a tiny handful of cubed ham, some cheese, maters, onions, and some baked turkey pieces. Snacks were celery sticks with almond butter ( its yummy! ), some carrots, granola, and 2 containers of greek yogurt, all accompanied with lots and lots of water.
          Weight loss has been maintaining between 176-179. So, still about 9 lbs lost to date, however I'm still seeing an increase in muscle definition and tone. It's hard to grasp when you want to see a goal achieved based on a number, but mentally I'm willing to circumvent numbers if I can see tone/definition accompanied with a strengh increase.
          Till my next post folks, keep true to yourselves, and remember, any goal not written down, is merely a dream!

Day 9 - Day 17... Nov 9-Nov 17

     So, what has been going on for the past 8 days? Well, besides working a lot of overtime at work, I have been putting quite a bit of time in the gym as well. I have been following a new outline provided to me by a person I respect very highly.
     I have also included Niox into my pre workout supps. It is a nitrous oxide supplement that basically helps with blood flow to the muscles, therefore being able to lift more. I have seen new highs in some of my lifts, but more than that, I have also see the ability to do more as I'm lifting.
     I am still including cardio into my immediate post work out regime as well. Typically, I do either elliptical or spinner bike for 30 mins after, and occassionally i run on the treadmill as well. Much like with weight lifting, so goes with cardio. In order to see results you need to change up the routine, or else your body will get into a groove, and a rut and not only seeing, but getting results will start to plateau.
      As far as the dieting goes. I have recently been advised to start cutting more carbs out because I am trying to lose more body fat, but keep the lean muscle mass. I have also been pointed towards using another supplement. For now, I will keep that to myself and see if any results can been seen as a result of adding it into my daily diet. Also, I am still maintaining my 1 day a week as a cheat day. Its a day where I put all worries with regard to my diet and eat whatever I want, WITHIN proper proportions. It's not a free day to act like a horse with a a food bag over it's mouth. I still need to be responsible in my eating proportions, even on my cheat days.
       Most of my diet is still including, fruits, vegetables, chicken, wheat tortillas to make wraps with, one of my favorites in my diet... spinach, and a lot and a lot of water, with MIO added into it, or just plain water. One of my other favorite items in my diet has to be sweet potatoes. They taste so yummy!
      Now, for today's cheat meal/day, I really splurged. For a snack, I had some chex mix. For dinner tonight we ate at applebee's. I ordered some 4 oz sirloin steaks, loaded mashed taters, I had 2 mozzarella sticks and some french onion soup as an appetizer and to wash all of this down, I had a long island ice tea and a shot of Jack Daniels.
       I know I know, I spoke earlier that I was going to forgo alcohol, and I have and will. However, I had just a small amount to have because it is my cheat day, and it will probably be about another 6 weeks or longer before I even touch it again.
       Other than that, things have been going well. The weight has been maintaining the same, however I am seeing some results in tone and definition in my muscles. As I also just recently found out, that there is an actual number of muscle vs fat weight. Muscle apparently weighs almost 3x's the amount as fat. So, 1 lb of fat is about the same amount of 3 lbs of muscle. So, that helps put quite a few things into perspective for me with regards to weight loss vs muscle.
        Till the next day or so, I hope that this journal that I am jotting down will help others who may or may not be traveling down this road themselves and appear to be stuck or in a rut.
   

Day 8- Nov 8, 2011

     Day 8 felt as good as the previous day. Each day I typically wake up feeling good and sore. Its a constant reminder that I am doing something to the muscles and they don't appreciate it as much as I do.
      Got myself ready for work, and had lunch/dinner already packed from the previous day. Whole wheat tortillas, fresh spinach leaves, alfalfa sprouts, and some pan fried chicken seasoned with Mrs. Dash.
       I also made yesterday some of my most favorite banana bread. I will post the recipe here in a day or two. I also attempted to make a new dessert with Melissa's help. We made up a batch of sugar free + fat free chocolate pudding, dipped a banana half through it and then rolled it around in some granola. Then we took them and placed them in the freezer. However, after letting them set in the freezer for a long time, the granola lost it's crunchiness, but not the flavor. I was aiming to maintain the crunchiness of the granola, so we shall see what happens the next time.
      As for tonight, in the gym, the targeted area was the back and abs with a cardio session to follow. Achieved a new max weight on the shoulder shrugs for traps. 80 lb dumb bells in each hand. It felt great to be able to accomplish the new goal, and I'm sure I'll be sore for the following day or so as a reminder of such accomplishment.
       Cardio consisted of 30 mins on the elliptical machine.
      The diet is going well, the work out regiment is heading down the correct path, and I'm already seeing results, so all of this combined is making me a very happy dieter with a goal in mind.
       Till tomorrow.... have a great night

Day 7- Nov 7, 2011

      Day 7 started out with as a very good morning. When I did my morning weigh in, I had lost a total of 9 lbs thus far, since I've started this event. That's always a good thing when you see progression. My hats off thus far to my trainers.
      We went into town today and we stopped off at Subway, and I was curious about their fit meals that they have. They quite honestly have a good variety that helps to either keep you within your calories or your fat parameters. I was able to enjoy an oven roasted chicken sandwich on a 6 inch 9 grain wheat bun that only had 320 calories. I complimented it with a fat free honey mustard dressing...but very lightly applied of course.
       Gym time was good. It was arms an annihilation of the arms, bi's-tri's, and fore-arms. After which, I did 30 mins of the spin bicycle and then 20 mins in the sauna. My workout was so intense, that I pushed myself to being dizzy and lightheaded. I loved it!

Day 6- Nov 6, 2011

      Today started off with the operative word of " SORE " My legs don't hurt from my leg exercise yesterday, but my inner and outer thighs are what is hurting the most from doing the abductors and adductors work out. But thankfully, there is a little potent pill called Ibuprofen to help quiet the pain.
      Made it to the gym after taking care of the family's needs to ensure that Melissa would be able to stay off of her feet while I was gone for a little while.
      Gym time was centered on the chest. Did bench presses, chest focused dips, declined bench presses, and cable crossovers. During each rep AND set of exercises I did ab work outs as well. Then after I did all of those exercises, I went and conducted a 30 min cardio on the elliptical machine.
      Dinner tonight and as a snack throughout the night was a salad. The salad consisted of spinach leaves, 3 hard boiled eggs diced, 1 avocado sliced, 1 red pepper diced, a half of a tomato, 1 chicken breast diced up into cubes, some shredded mozzarella cheese and the dressing was lemon juice. Lemon juice gives it a bit of a zing for a flavor, and it has no calories, no fat, no sodium ( at least not listed on the label! ) It gives the salad a refreshing flavor.
       That was the day with regards to the exercise, and diet meal. Talk to y'all tomorrow

Day 5- Nov 5, 2011

      So, for today... it started out as a typical Saturday, except for the fact that I went to the gym. I swapped my workout days due to the fact that I missed them earlier in the week due to a busy schedule and having to do running around.
      My pre-workout consisted of 1 package of Peaches and Cream oatmeal and Lunatic Lemonade Hemo Rage U.C.
      At the gym, I chose to do leg day followed up by a 30 min cardio session. Most people will tell you to not do cardio on leg days, but if you choose the proper type of cardio, I don't see why you can't. Just don't run. My leg workout routine was: Laying leg extensions, seated calf raises, leg presses, and quad extensions. After that, I did hip abductor's and adductor's after that to exercise that hard to work area. After the leg work out, I did a 15 min row session followed by a 15 min spin cycle session.
      My post work out meal was 2 banana's and 2 scoops of Pro-Gram Vanilla protein. The banana's were primarily to help with the post work out pain, and to get potassium back into my system.
      Then after awhile, Melissa and I started cooking dinner. We had steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and asparagus. Fried up some onions and squash with a fat free, calorie free butter flavored cooking spray, and some broiled chicken. We seasoned the vegetables with what I call the no salt salt ( or fake salt ); pepper and Mrs. Dash.
      The chicken was seasoned with the same stuff I believe. Truth be told, I didn't do much of the seasoning, I was too busy cutting up vegetables and cleaning up the kitchen as we were going.
      Melissa made a broccoli soup by taking the stalks/stems of the broccoli, dicing them up and mixing them with 1 can of chicken broth and 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Stirring occasionally, let it cook for about 20 mins. Folks, let me tell ya, it was something good.
      For dessert, I made 1 packet of fat free, sugar free jello chocolate pudding with 3 cups of non fat milk. Took a tumbler size glass ( roughly 6 ounces ), and layered the bottom of it with some non fat whipped cream, then took some more of the non fat whipped cream and layered the all four sides of the glass. Then, i took 2 scoops from a 1/3 cup measuring cup of the non fat chocolate pudding and poured it into the glass. To top it off, I added a small glob of the non fat whipped cream and placed it on top of the chocolate. I placed the glasses in the freezer for about an hour. Eat and enjoy!
        It is so delicious and it was great to be able to enjoy a dessert and not have to feel guilty about it. Sorry, but there is no picture of the dessert to add, but there is a picture of the dinner.

       Now mind y'all, I was unable to eat this entire portion for obvious reasons, and quite frankly that is another thing that dieting is all about-portion control.

Day 4- Nov 4, 2011

    So, I decided to make today a cheat day. Having a cheat day once a week is a good idea. It is my opinion that no matter how hard core you are, still having a cheat day is good for your mental welfare while dieting. It allows your mind to understand that you are not depriving it from the old food it was used to before you dieted, and it helps you to recenter yourself during the other 6 days of the week.
     My cheat meal was 1 slice of pizza with a habenero pepper, and some extra cheese. I also took today as another rest day. To date, my weight loss is still 7 lbs since the starting of my journey. Not bad for about a week. It's an average of 1 lb a day. If I can maintain this weight loss, I have no doubt that I will be successful to achieve my goal and be able to accomplish this goal that I am going after.

Day 2 & 3 -- I know I know.. I'm late

                              ( WEDNESDAY DAY 2)
         Today was a rest day from the gym, however I still need to get cardio done, as well as with Thursday.
         One of the hardest things for me currently is having to fight the temptations of when I'm home and having the quick ability to snack on unhealthy foods. I understand that I have to eat 6-7 times a day, but I'm talking about the in between meal snacks.
         The conflict for me is that I do not feel that I should control what my family has in the house food wise just because of my lack of self control and discipline. So, what is the solution to the problem? Increase self discipline, and grab that glass/jug of water. It is a great way to fill up the belly, and overcome that desire to want to snack.
         Last night's ( Tuesday ) gym time was effective and very different. The biggest change I saw was that I under estimated the weight in which I could effectively train at. What I am getting at here is, I thought for certain exercises I could only do say 30 lbs effectively, and when I attempted the same exercise at 50 lbs and was able to maintain all the needed elements to perform the exercise properly. Definately a good thing to see the my strength increasing.
         I did add a new aspect to my pre-workout routine; Oatmeal. By adding in oatmeal with my typical pre-workout supplement ( Hemo Rage UC ), I felt an even greater ability to lift more, and heavier. It gave a sense of more energy, more strength continuously throughout the workout, and a better recovery time after the workout. It's not a heavy meal by any means, and taking it at that 30-45 min mark before hitting the gym, makes it extremely useful by the time you start getting into your workout. At least for me, that is what I experienced.
         As I am back on the diet and meal plan that I was on a few short months ago, getting everyone around me in my immediate life to remember that will obviously take time and therefore I must be patient with the transition phase. When people are so used to me being willing to eat just about whatever, even though in small portion, it's unrealistic of me to expect people to accept the fact over night, that there are certain things now that I just won't eat.
         One of the things that I have recently introduced to my diet more now is fiber, and let me tell ya something, that definitely has been an eye opener on what it does!
         As I am starting this 5 month journey, I've also made the mental decision to make some other changes that are not necessarily needed, but more on the lines of me wanting to do it to help give me that extra push forward to achieve my goal. The first item that I've decided to eliminate alcohol ( all types ). The major reasons for this is that alcohol is unwanted carbs and empty calories. Secondly, most alcohol transfers into sugar once it's been digested. The second item that I've decided to cut out are sugary drinks ( ie soda pop and my recent favorite, energy drinks ) The reasons why, again unwanted calories and too much sugar. However, I just recently found that Monster makes an absolute zero energy drink. It has zero calories, and zero sugar. It is basically a flavored drink with caffeine and vitamins.
                          ( THURSDAY  DAY 3 )
       Not much occurred today as far as exercise went. Our day was mostly driving around, getting things done that needs to be done on pay days. As we left the house, I ensured that I did take with me plenty of water to drink so that I avoided the need to stop at a fast food joint and be tempted to get a soda pop or a different sugary drink ( ie lemonade, teas, etc etc ) while we were out and about. I also brought along with me a container of granola in case I had the desire to want to snack on some other quick food source.
        However, while we were out and about, we did stop by Chik-Fil-a or however you spell it and I was not going to get anything until I noticed that they have 3 different types of wraps you can get now. I ended up going with a grilled chicken wrap with fat free honey mustard dressing to go with it. No fries, no drink ( remember, I brought my water with me ). The wrap was very filling and tasted great.
        To date, when I started this adventure, I was weighing roughly 185 lbs. As I started this new project, I had annotated that I wanted to lose 20 lbs, well, the new goal is 25 lbs. This morning when I weighed myself, I am now currently at 178 lbs. i started this whole adventure actually on the 29th of October, but it took me 2 days to think if I was going to go through the whole daily blog of events, etc etc, or just keep it a quiet journey. I decided to go ahead and maintain a daily blog in hopes that others might read it, and possibly find answers to some questions that they have had but are too afraid to ask others, or just inspire some who want to shed a few pounds to do so.

Day 1 Nov 1, 2011

   So, I here I start, making a new blog that will cover the span of the next 5 months. I will be jotting down my work outs, my thoughts, feelings, my diet, meals, etc etc, at what I hope and attempt will be a daily occurrence.
       Before I get into the reasons for this 5 month journey, I want to start off by thanking a few people. First and foremost my wife, Melissa. Without her daily support, I would not be where I am now, nor would have accomplished what I have accomplished thus far in my new journey. She has had to endure many, many days of me stepping on the scale. She has been there for me through my victories, and my losses. She has been there on my best days, and she's even been there when I've been at my worst. Without her, I honestly don't think I could have accomplished what I have thus far. So to her, I give an unyielding and never ending THANK YOU! 
         The next few people I will be mentioning, I will use their initials to respect the thought of privacy, as I have not gotten permission to use their names publicly, not only in this blog, but possibly many blogs to come within the next 5 month period.
           First two are fellow co-workers. S.H. and C.A. Both of these guys have listened to me for hours and hours on end, selflessly, and patiently. Their knowledge, and help has been invaluable, I hope to be able to express to them one day my greatest appreciation for them both.
            Next, a gentleman by the initials D.W. He is a patient individual, who too, has offered a large amount of knowledge, help, and guidance that has helped pave the path that I am now treading. Getting to know him has been an honor and a pleasure, and I am ever in his debt and owe him a debt of gratitude.
             The next person is C.P. I have just recently had the pleasure of getting to know this person and so far, it has been immeasurable. This person is a vat of knowledge and having an opportunity to tap into that has already proven itself beneficial.
               Next in line, I would like to publicly thank the medical staff that has been overlooking my new life and their brilliance and knowledge for my needs as I have had to travel over many hurdles.
                 Lastly, I would like to publicly thank Nutrex Research, Inc and their staff. For making products that work, their invaluable knowledge, and help in product selection to best benefit the customer to achieve optimum results. They take time to listen to the customers, and from my experience, they don't just try to turn and burn the customers on and off the phone, making a sale in the end.
                  Nutrex has been a huge portion of my successful weight loss, and for that, I will be a loyal customer of theirs for as long as I am a nutrition freak. 
                 So what is this whole 5 month journey about you may be asking yourself. The ultimate end result, for now, is a surprise that I will save until the time is right.  Why, all of the sudden 5 months from now? Because, 5 months from this date, is an important date, and it's a vocal point. I have something to achieve, and I have a date in which I want to accomplish it by. By doing so, I put the pressure on myself to work my tail off as hard as possible to accomplish this goal by this certain date. I am beginning with the end in mind.
                   I will be posting regular meals that we are cooking and trying. I will be posting exercise routines, periodic photos, and if I am lucky enough, and can get the assistance of Melissa, I'll even post a video or two throughout this ordeal of who knows what. 
                   Stay tuned my friends.... we've just begun an adventure!