JayLoss

I’m not a big salad guy, but this was tasty!

It’s baby spinach with walnuts, sesame seeds, chicken, raspberries, mushrooms and olive oil! It was really, really good! I estimate the calorie amount to be 500 calories due to the walnuts, oil and chicken.

So I’m 100% with the Paleo diet now. I’m not doing it to lose weight (I’ve lost enough weight), I’m doing it because it’s healthy.

Without knowing it, I was pretty close to eating Paleo already, I just had to cut out all the bad carbs and start eating more vegetables. The biggest challenge so far was figuring out what I could eat. I’m so used to eating lots of carbs, cheese and other dairy.

Luckily for me I love a challenge! I found alternatives to eating carbs, I snack on almonds, boiled eggs, walnuts, fruits and vegetables now. I don’t crave simple carbs anymore, I still crave cheese but maybe that will pass.

If I were to say to myself 3 years ago that today I wouldn’t be drinking soda anymore or eating chips, I wouldn’t believe it. Not only that but I stay away from artificial flavors, dairy, food coloring, etc. I pretty much drink nothing but water. I’m a health nut!

It’s been a LONG process.. I didn’t just say one day I’m eating healthy and that was that.. it took years..

The first and best thing I did was cut out all soda. After that and with a restricted calorie diet I started losing weight.

Then I introduce more fruits and vegetables into my diet, slowly eating better.

Then I decided to stay away from caffeine, food coloring and artificial flavorings. Mostly because it made me feel bad mentally and physically.

Over a period of years I’m eating healthier until I reach Paleo without really trying.

What is the Paleo Diet? 

Here are a few basics..

Q: So what shouldn’t I eat?

A: Stop eating these foods:

• everything made from grains like wheat, corn, rice, barley and oats: this includes all baked goods (bread, crackers, muffins, cookies, etc.), pasta, and breaded/fried items
• sugar in all forms except whole fruit
• vegetable and seed oils like corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil, sunflower/safflower oil, etc.
• legumes (beans, peanuts)

Q: What should I eat?

A: DO eat these foods:

• lots of animal foods: meat, eggs, fish/seafood
• lots of vegetables
• nuts/seeds. The following nuts should be consumed in moderation due to their relatively high omega-6 fat content: walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts etc. Coconut is much lower in omega-6 fats and is rich in saturated fats and can/should be consumed more frequently than the above nuts. Remember that peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and are even more concentrated in omega-6 fats and antinutrient lectins.
• fruits (in moderation if trying to lose weight; lower-sugar varieties like berries are a good choice over high-sugar fruits like grapes, bananas, or oranges.)
• for cooking fats, use animal fats like lard, bacon fat, beef tallow, butter, olive oil, palm oil, or coconut oil.

Optional, depending on your tolerances:

• dairy (fermented dairy such as yogurt and kefir and raw dairy are preferred over pasteurized dairy products such as cow’s milk)
• starchy root vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes (Note: Again, concentrated carbohydrate sources can inhibit weight loss. If you are working out and need to supplement calories or carbs, eat these starchy foods according to your needs.) Remove and discard peels of tubers to avoid concentrated antinutrient sources

More about the Paleo Diet

What do you think about the Paleo diet? Is it something you’re interested in or something you’re already doing? 

Jay,

Current Weight: 181lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2500

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

“If you want to succeed, as bad as you want to breath, then you can be successful.”

I enjoy listening people tell me about their goals in life and what they aspire to become and to accomplish. When I tell someone about my goals and what I’m doing to accomplish them, I feel motivated to stay strong and to keep moving forward. Telling someone you’re going to do something adds urgency and just enough peer pressure to keep you moving in the right direction.

If you want something bad enough, nothing else should get in your way.

Weight loss and physical fitness is not something to place 4th or 5th on your importance list if it’s something you’re wanting to accomplish. It deserves #1 priority in my opinion as everything you do can affect it.

1. Health & Fitness
2. Friends and Family
3. Business/Money

Is Health & Fitness at the top of your priority list? Or is it something that you focus on when you have time?

Jay,

Current Weight: 187lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2000

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

Emm.. Tasty! Food Wednesday! 

The Hard Rock’s chocolate shake, topped with whipped cream is extremely thick. It had generious amounts of chocolate ice cream, but it wasn’t mixed well. And it was too think to drink.

Hard Rock’s THICK SHAKES & MALTS

Your choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
Put it in a souvenir 23 oz. Hurricane glass or 20 oz.
Pilsner and keep the glass (additional fee).

CALORIE FACTS!

None, I couldn’t find calorie information anywhere. Not even on their website.

Calorie Estimation: 1,600

For some people that’s their calorie intake!

After being stuck at 190-pounds for the past month, I finally broke the barrier!

It took me awhile, I’m not really sure why I was stuck at exactly 190-pounds for the past month. Well my eating habits were definitely sporadic but not entirely bad.

Anyhow today I’m 187-pounds and I’m very happy with my progress. My goal weight is 180-pounds.

Other then that, things have been going great. I painted my office blue, setup a new desk and gave away a few pieces of furniture to my sister. I haven’t officially worked-out the past couple days, however with all the physical labor I’ve been doing lately it feels like I have.

I’m about to hit the gym right now, I’m aiming to do a 1-hour workout.

Cheers!

Jay,

Current Weight: 187lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2000
Current Body Fat: ??

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

I really feel like ordering a large pizza right now and just pigging out.

It’s been one of those gloomy/boring days where nothing really gets done and you just feel unmotivated. I just got back from an uplifting drive around the block but other then that I didn’t do much today.

Yesterday on the other hand I had new wood floors installed in my office. And I’m getting a new desk tomorrow or the next day which I’m excited to setup.

For whatever reason whenever I have a stressful/busy day, the next day I don’t feel like doing anything productive.

Maybe I’m just in the habit of chilling out after a stressful/busy day. Usually the stressful/busy days are on a Saturday and I relax and do nothing on Sundays.

I think my mind is just playing games with me.

Oh well, I’m not going to buy a pizza. I feel better and more motivated just by writing about it.

For those of you who wanted to see a delicious pizza.. enjoy!

Jay,

Current Weight: 191lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2000
Current Body Fat: 14%

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

I’m officially back on track with a healthy diet and regular exercise!

I’m still stuck at 190lbs but the good news is I stopped gaining weight and sort of leveled off.

What I had to do was lower my calorie intake to 2000 calories a day from 3000+ I was used to eating. Once I did that I stopped gaining the weight and as long as I’m REALLY strict with my diet, I’m slowly losing again.

On another positive note I feel that I’m actually gaining muscle at a faster pace.

If you’re a regular reader of the blog you know I like to try new supplements every once in awhile. Well I found a supplement that helps with muscle growth and I’m happy to say I believe it’s working.

I’ll know more in a couple months but I do feel it’s working for me. I’ve definitely gained over the past year, much slower then I would have liked but I’ve gained. With the help of this new supplement I feel more pumped up then usual after a workout. I’m excited to see the results in a couple more months!

So the diet is back on (I formed a habit once again) and I’m gaining muscle at a faster pace. I think that’s some progress!

Jay,
Current Weight: 190lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2000
Current Body Fat: 14%

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

I wrote a post last year about snacking (Snacking the Right Way) which basically included a lot of 100-calorie snacks with very little nutritional value.

These days I moved away from the empty 100-calorie snacks, to wholesome and fulfilling 200-calorie snacks for the most part.

I ordered a couple boxes of KIND bars from Amazon the past week, these are great little snacks. I especially like the coconut bars. I highly recommend them.

KIND is a brand of all-natural, whole nut and fruit bars made from ingredients you can see and pronounce, and it’s also a movement that gives new purpose to snacking. All KIND bars are all-natural, gluten free, and kosher while delivering the benefits of essential vitamins and nutrients such as fiber, calcium, omega-3s, protein, and antioxidants

I’m a huge Nature Valley fan! When I stopped eating all those other 100-calorie snacks, Nature Valley is the only snack I still eat at least once every other day. They’re very filling, they taste great and they’re good for you.

I quit the chips!

Something I used to snack on all the time, chips, more specifically Frito’s.

I quit snacking on chips because I found myself going through a large bag in just a few days. Now when I feel like snacking on something, instead I grab some grapes or one of the above 200-calorie snacks.

I find that I snack 3-4 times a day sometimes. I eat all day long compared to most people. I don’t eat large meals. Instead I just have small meals throughout the day.

It keeps my metabolism running strong and I’m never hungry.

That’s how I snack!

Jay,
Current Weight: 191lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2000
Current Body Fat: 14%

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

I eat a lot of grapes, it’s my new snack food. They’re sweet tasting, portable and they contain a lot of antioxidants. So how many calories are in grapes?

Doing some quick research it seems about 100 calories per cup! It’s more then I thought they would have but it’s still not that bad considering grapes are so good for you.

1. Grapes are Good Sources of Vitamins
2. Grapes are Rich in Essential Minerals
3. Grapes are Good for Your Heart Health
4. Grapes Help Prevent Cancer Formation
5. Grapes Aid the Digestive System Due to their Anti-microbial Properties

Thanks to presence of antioxidant compounds in grapes, it helps bind free radicals in the body. These free radicals or “oxidants” are responsible for instigating cancer formation in various organs of the body. It has been studied that drinking red wine can reduce the risk of lung cancer by 13%, owing to high concentration of antioxidants like resveratrol. You can get the same benefit from eating purple grapes on daily basis, if you don’t want to drink red wine.

I’ve come to realize that the simplest foods, the foods grown naturally and not man made are the best foods you can eat. Think about it, certain plants are alive today only because of animal pollination. One of the ways these plants pollinate is by offering edible fruits and other foods to entice animals to pollinate their flowers. The plants that offered the best food lived on while plants that didn’t offer anything special died off. It’s mother nature.

Anyway, let mother nature work for you.

Grapes for the win!

Jay,
Current Weight: 190lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2000
Current Body Fat: 14%

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

Over the years I’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks to keep motivated and moving forward with my goals. When I decided to lose weight, one of the tactics I used was what I call a forced habit.

A forced habit is something you force yourself to do.

You give yourself only one option, and there are no alternatives to derail you from the habit you’re trying to form.

For example if you want to force yourself to skip every other step of your house stairs, you could place random items on the first step of the stairs. This forces you to skip over the first step which will then remind you about the habit you’re trying to form, and since you skipped the first step the rest of the steps should be natural.

I forced this habit on myself in about three weeks. It was a chore the first couple of weeks but after that it was easy. I did this because I was bored and wanted to see if I could keep it up. Now when I see stairs I immediately want to skip the first step. I’m working on skipping every three steps, that’s a little harder.

So how do you force yourself to lose weight?

Losing weight is a little more complex then just skipping steps. Your primary focus should be on what you consume. I forced myself to lose weight by setting a limit on how many calories I could eat in a day. No matter what happened, I could not go over the amount of calories I set for myself.

This forced me to spread out my calorie intake throughout the day better so I wouldn’t be hungry. It helped me figure out which foods I could eat that kept me full longer. And I learned about different low calorie foods that kept me within my calorie allotment.

I forced myself to eat better and after only 3 weeks I formed a habit which made it easy to keep going and continue losing the weight.

And that’s pretty much how I was able to lose 150+ pounds.

Jay,
Current Weight: 190lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2500
Current Body Fat: ???

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009

I’ve been working on increasing muscle mass for a LONG time now..

It’s been my primary goal for at least 6-months  and I’ve definitely gained, but it’s been at a snails pace sadly.

I’ve tried protein drinks, I eat a lot of protein rich foods, I lift primarily with some cardio.

Gaining muscle is a very slow process it seems.

Opps, that's not me..

The good news is I have an 8-pack which shows when my body-fat is low enough (11% or lower). My leg muscles and arms are bigger but only about 35% bigger. For the amount of lifting and eating that I do I wish I had more to show for my hard-work.

It’s a slow process, for me at least.

I wonder if I were to increase the duration of my workout from 45-minutes to 90-minutes. And the amount of weight I lifted by 25%. I wonder how much of an impact this would have on muscle growth.

My problem is I’m pretty much sedentary except for when I workout 4-5 times a week for about 45-minutes. Maybe the problem is I’m not doing enough.

I’ll try increasing my workouts to 90-minutes and my weights by 25% or more. I think this will help spur muscle growth and maybe get me sore again.

That or I need to get a personal trainer that will push me in the right direction.

Jay,