I haven’t forgotten about any of you (or my healthy lifestyle plan)…  It is just that I have been amazingly busy.  Work and life have kept me on my toes and to be perfectly honest, I haven’t had a lot of time to sit at the computer.  The good news is that even with having to slow down my exercise due a pinched nerve in my back, I am still keeping my weight between 200 and 197 (depending on the time of day, etc…).  I am still looking to adjust my diet so that I can continue to lose more weight, but I am not on a “diet” plan.  I am on a maintainable lifestyle plan.  All too often we try for quick weight-loss and forget that it took us years to gain our extra weight.  I can wait to get it all off.

I have to admit that I am extremely happy with Beyond Tangy Tangerine and Pollen Burst. These two Youngevity products combined in my water bottle in the morning are the staple of my day.  On the off chance I forget to grab it out of the fridge on my way to work, I really feel the difference in myself.

I will try to keep up with the posting and I am looking forward to the warmer weather when I can be outside working (which really helps take off the weight!).

So, if you listen to the Wellness Hour then you know that I hurt my back a little while back.  No big deal really, I bent over to pick something up (bend at the knees…  I know) and BAM!  Well, some Gluco-gel/Calcium later, I am back at it.  I ran about a mile today and the back feels good.  I was concerned because I hadn’t step on the scale in a while so when I got on  it a few mornings ago I was presently surprised to find that I was still 197 pounds.  I also have been losing a bit more off my waist because I was able to wear some of my older clothes.  It made me very happy to know that I can maintain my weight even when I am unable to exercise (not that I plan on stopping).  I have to admit that I have been missing the energy that comes along with my weekly exercise routine and that I am looking forward to getting back (no pun intended) into a routine!

Well, I have to report that I haven’t gained any weight! When I say I took a week off, I really meant I took a week off from updating websites… not my lifestyle. I a still limiting portion size and avoiding processed foods. Today on the Wellness Hour, we will be talking about supplements and some of those processed foods you need to avoid. I am definitely looking slimmer and I can really tell a difference when I put on my pants. I am going to have to go out and buy a size smaller sooner (now there is money well spent!).

I’ll post more after the show! – Remember to do a little exercise as often as possible…

So as I have been mentioning, I am still hanging around 197 pounds, but as you can see from the image in my last post, I am slimming down.  I feel really good and I am beginning to get some definition back to my arms and the rest of my upper body is tightening up.  The EA Active exercise program has me working my legs in all different ways (gotta love those lunges) and I am going to start adding a morning abdominal routine to my workouts. 

A caller on the Wellness Hour on Saturday wanted to know about my diet (which is not a diet in the traditional sense, it is a whole life change) so I thought I would list out a typical day for me:

AM: Usually up between 5:00 AM and 5:15 AM – I drink some water and make my Beyond Tangy Tangerine drink in a water bottle.  My Beyond Tangy Tangerine drink consists of Youngevity’s Beyond Tangy Tangerine (2 scoops as I am about 200 lbs), Pollen Burst, and a shot of Rebound FX in 12-14 ounces of water.  I then put that in the refrigerator for later.  If I am going to exercise, I drink some more water and I get right at it.  Exercise consists of either EA Active or running/walking on the tread mill (at least 20 minutes of activity).  If I am not going to exercise, I take my enzymes and a minute later I take calcium, sweet-eze (chromium which helps with blood sugar/cravings), Essential fatty acids, and extra vitamin c.  I then make a bowl of high fiber cereal with organic skim milk (I usually eat some form of Kashi cereal or Fiber One).  If I am really hungry, I may throw in a piece of toast (made from bread that has no high fructose corn syrup – preferably homemade if I have had time.  I will then take a big sip of my Tangy Tangerine Drink (and put it back in the refrigerator).  I usually sip at my drink all the way to work and then finish it up around 9:00 AM

Lunch:  My lunch is about 15 to 20 minutes of time so I have to be prepared.  This is where I usually ran out to get something quick to eat.  The cost of this behavior was more than just monetary (and I am saving a lot of money not running out for fast food) it had a horrible effect on my body and my mood.  If I find myself hungry before lunch I snack on a small quantity of nuts, crackers (no high fructose corn syrup), or some cut up veggies I bring from home (I find celery to be very filling) – I will sometimes treat myself with a small quantity of chips or pretzels (remember – cutting out all foods is what leads to bounce-back).  For lunch I always have cheese (I love cheese) and I buy “real cheese”.   I keep the cheese portion down to about 80 calories and that has worked for me.  Also, I always have fruit.  If I have a grapefruit or apple that is wonderful, but I keep a supply of Del Monte fruit cups (the refrigerated ones that are usually in the produce section of the store) in the refrigerator at work.  I know that these are packed in light syrup (hard to find in water any more), but I live a very busy life and I want to make sure I have some fruit around and I don’t always have time to get to the store.  The fruit cups are about 140 calories for the whole cup and they are very filling combined with the cheese.  If I am feeling particularly hungry, I will bring a small bowl of rice with me to work to eat with a little soy (shoyu) sauce.  I make real (not minute) rice every couple of days to have on hand for a quick snack.

PM:  Before I leave work I am generally getting hungry (I leave work between 3:15 PM and 4:30 PM).  I usually drink at least one whole water bottle with lunch and then another near the end of the work day.  If I am feeling tired, I will add a Rebound FX to the water bottle to give me a little energy.  I always have a supply of Tru-Chocolate on hand (lately the mint version) for those afternoon cravings.  Recently, I have been exercising when I get home from work.  I seem to have more energy then and my kids get to see me exercising which is good for them to see.  When I get home, I make another Beyond Tangy Tangerine drink (1 scoop) with Sip of Sunshine (Got to get some Vitamin D and I avoid the Pollen Burst and the Rebound FX as I want to make sure I am able to sleep – these two items give you lots of energy).  I then exercise, play with the dog, and get busy on dinner.  I take my enzymes about 2 minutes before dinner.  Dinner usually consists of some form of meat (chicken breast usually) and very limited starches.  As a rule of thumb, I generally make sure that my salad is the largest portion of my meal.  Many times, we throw the meat right in the salad.  We still have pasta (spaghetti or such) with red sauce once a week and I make sure that I keep the pasta servings to a reasonable amount.  Also, there is always salad available.  Due to the fact that both my wife and I work full-time (plus some) we keep a supply of bagged salad (lately many brands have an organic herb salad mix that is great with a balsamic vinaigrette).  I always have water with dinner and I do have a beer or a glass of wine in the evening on most nights.  We mix up the meals during the week as often as possible and try to keep things interesting.  For those busy nights, we have some Boca burgers (I like the chicken ones) on hands.  The chicken version, fried with a bit of olive oil, over some rice with real cheddar and some spicy salsa is very good and filling.  I finish up after dinner by taking some more sweet-eze, essential fatty acids, calcium, and gluco-gel (to help with possible joint soreness due to my exercising).

I try to stick to a routine so that I can continue this process – forever – yes that is forever.  I am going to be healthy and in shape forever!  My routine is a 6 and 1 or a 5 and 2 routine.  What that means is the majority of time I am staying on top of what I eat and seeking out low-calorie, low-fat tasty meals.  However, one or two days in the week I will just eat what I want making sure not to “over-eat”.  As a rule for me, I try to stay between 1700-2000 calories per day depending on my activity level.

I hope this helps some of you get on a plan that works for you.  I think it is important to follow the 3 step process and make sure you make a meal plan that works for you.  Also, don’t remove all the food you like, but you should avoid any thing that is highly processed and specifically those items with high fructose corn syrup.  On the weekends, I try to make as many meals as possible with all fresh ingredients and I make fresh salsa almost weekly as I love the flavor on lots of things and spicy food makes me feel full.

Now, speaking of eating what you like every once in a while, it is Super-Bowl Sunday and I have a finger food day ahead – boy I love my fire-hot buffalo chicken wings!!!

So I am still hovering around the 197 mark, but my waist is continuing to slim.  I thought I would share a picture with you.  These are my 38 inch jeans that were tight on my waist in September of last year.  This is a real motivator for me and I hope that it is somewhat inspiring to my readers that they too can lose weight with proper nutrition and a healthy diet.

That is about 2 inches off that waist!!! Thank you to the Wellness Hour for all the advice on supplementation!

Sorry I wasn’t on the Wellness Hour this morning – I was tired from a long week and needed a break.  However, I made this video for you all today…

I am sticking to my EA Active exercise program and I am feeling great.  My muscles are tight and I can feel that I am working a lot more areas of my body than just my running was hitting.  I will be posting some new pictures this weekend so stay tuned!!!

As I hover around 198 again I am struck with the fact that I do not want to eliminate all the food I enjoy so that I can lose weight more rapidly.  I know since my weight is slowly coming off that my new healthy habits lifestyle is working, but I can achieve better results with more effort.  Also, I have noticed that as I lose the weight the definition that I used to have in my muscles has faded over the years.  So in order to start toning up my muscles and help with weight loss, I have decided to mix in the 30 day challenge on EA Sports Active this is a title available for the Wii (from Nintendo).  Combined with the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board I am going to start mixing up my exercise routine so that I can start focusing on more parts of my body than just losing weight.  Tonight, I did about 18 minutes (day one of the 30 day challenge) and I burned a little over 180 cals.  After I was done with that, I did about 20 minutes of Yoga on the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board.  I have to admit that the lunges on EA Sports Active have hit spots on my legs that running doesn’t seem to. 

I will keep you all abreast of the results.  Also, I will be posting pictures soon and I hope to have my first VLOG (Video blog) up soon as well.