JayLoss

Best Foods for Weight Gaining?

Posted on 26. Jan, 2011 by Jay.

Gaining Weight? Who Me?

If you follow my blog you know I’ve gone from 268lbs to 170lbs in just a little under a year. That’s  98 pounds of weight loss!

I have since transitioned from losing weight to gaining muscle. And you can’t do that without gain from what I’ve seen. At 170lbs and 8% to 9% body fat, the only way to gain is to eat, eat and eat some more. And you can’t just eat crap high-calorie foods. Well you can but whatever you gain will be mostly fat.

To be honest I’ve had a real hard time gaining weight eating low fat, low calorie foods. I would eat every 2-3 hours.. large meals but I wouldn’t get enough calories because I try and only buy and eat healthy foods. That wasn’t working to gain weight.

So I switch things up bought weight-gainer protein drinks. Each drink is 400 calories with 25 grams of protein. You have a protein drink twice a day. Once before a workout and once afterwords. I only have the protein drink after working out.

Also I have since started to increase my carb intake. Eating primarily proteins with every meal wasn’t working to gain weight. That’s best for losing weight because your body won’t store the excess protein as it does with carbs. So more carbs equals a better chance to gain weight even though a large portion of that gain will be in fat in most cases. Which isn’t bad unless you have high-body fat already. So that was the plan, so did it work?

Well today I’m 179 pounds and trying very hard to stay at 180 pounds. I have noticed a slight increase in muscle growth as a result.

I’m going to maintain 180-pounds one way or another. I hope to swap out the fat I gained for increased muscle in the coming months. To be at 180 pounds and 9% body fat would be great!

Best foods for Weight Gain?

Jay,
Current Weight: 179lbs.
Calories Per Day: 3000

A Whole New Way of Thinking “The 4-Hour Work Week”

Posted on 19. Jan, 2011 by Jay.

As the new year sets in I continue to think about my goals for the year and what I’m going to do differently. I picked up the book “The 4-Hour Work Week” a couple weeks ago and it has changed my thinking about life completely. Before I lived to work for the most part .. now my thinking is to work to live. It’s the same for eating. Before I would live to eat.. now I eat to live. It’s addictions really. Doing something you know is bad for you but still doing it anyway.

Working all day long and not living your life is a “waste” as a friend of mine likes to say. Life is about experiencing new things and having fun with friends and family. It’s not shutting yourself in and pushing everyone else away. Think about your life. What do you remember most? Is it working 8-hours everyday for years? Or was it that time you went camping or skiing with friends? Life is about experiences.. whether good or bad. And ‘The 4-hour Work Week’ teaches you how to work efficiently by removing time wasting activities from your life so you can instead hyper focus on what really makes you money in order to have the time to DO the things you want to do in life.

Basically for me it means no more spending hours a day on sites like Reddit or Facebook. No more wasting time on projects that won’t make me money, instead focus on what makes the money and duplicate those efforts. Then automate everything so I can spend less and less time managing and more time on what I really want to do in life.

It’s a life changer. Even if you are working for someone else, the book has great tips for everyone.

I’m about 4/5 of the way done and it seems every 10 pages or so I find myself saying.. this is genius. It’s just a whole new way of thinking.. and I love it!

Cheers,

Jay

Accomplish Your Goals

Posted on 08. Jan, 2011 by Jay.

Over these years I’ve accomplished many goals. I bought my first house. I paid off all my debt (except the house). I reached my goal weight. I wrote a new book which was a huge success. And I’ve learned a lot about myself.

If there is something I want, I find a way to get it. If there is goal I want to reach, I lay out a plan and accomplish it. There is nothing I can’t do or achieve.

Whatever your goals are for the new year, don’t put them to the side and forget about them. If you want something, take it. If you have trouble or get sidetracked along the way, don’t give up, get back on track and keep moving. Your goals are only met by you. No one else will do the work for you. You get in this world what you take.

Jay,

Holiday Foods Are Tasty! Gotta Lose Body Fat!

Posted on 29. Dec, 2010 by Jay.

So what’s next with Jay?

As of this morning I’m 170.5 pounds with 9.01% body fat. I could of swore I was gaining weight a few days ago when I weighed in at 176 pounds but one day of watching what I ate and I’m back to a natural 170ish pounds. It seems my body wants to stay at 170 and not go anywhere else. And I have up until a couple days ago been eating like a PIG! I’m talking chocolates, cookies, fast foods, chips and other holiday goodies. I still documented everything I ate and made sure not to go over so many calories in a day but fat is fat. As such I’m switching things back to healthy eating.. no more chocolate for me. No more empty calorie foods. If I’m going to eat something it’s going to have some nutrients in it.

Looking in the mirror it doesn’t make sense that I haven’t gained any weight and that my body fat percentage has actually dropped more. Sure I have been exercising 3-4 times a week.. I know I’m building muscle (I can see it) but at the same time I haven’t been eating very healthy; yet the scale doesn’t show it. It only shows in the mirror where my abs are not as visible as a month or two ago. Maybe it’s mind games but I feel I have increased body fat slightly.. that or I’m bloated from all the unhealthy foods.. LOL..

Ah.. well lesson learned I guess. Stick to eating healthy food and you won’t gain body fat and lose the good graces of the all mighty mirror.

Sorry if I sound shallow and I worry about something as trivial of looks. I think that’s what drives a lot of people to get healthy. I know at this point it’s a big drive for me. As someone who’s still young, we only live once and have only one body to work with. I screwed up earlier in my life and let myself go. Now I’m making up for that and doing everything I can to be the best I can be.

Anyone else pig out this holiday season? Don’t make me feel bad all by myself.

Jay,
Current Weight: 170.1lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2600
Current Body Fat: 9.01%

Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
My Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Weight Loss: 165.9 Pounds
Blog Starting Date: Nov 2009
Currently Maintaining: 175 lbs.

How much protein do you need to build muscle?

Posted on 21. Dec, 2010 by Jay.

Protein helps repair and build muscle after we tear it up in the gym. You should include protein at every meal of the day but most importantly after working out. Usually I have a protein shake (35 grams of protein) and some sort of carb (banana, oatmeal, etc.) after a workout. But the question is how much protein do you need to build muscle?

I’m not one for complicating things.. so what I personally do is calculate my weight and multiply it by 1.1 and that tells me about how many grams of protein I should aim for to help build muscle. For example I weigh 175 pounds, multiple that by 1.1 and I get 192.5 grams of protein. This is the amount of protein I should aim for each day in order to build and repair my muscles. Easy enough right?

175 pounds x 1.1 = 192.5 grams of protein per day

Another way to calculate how much protein you need to build muscle:

My body weight is 175 pounds, and my body fat percentage is 10%.

1. 175 / 2.2 = 79.54 Kg
2. 0.10 x 68.18 = 6.81 Kg
3. 79.54 – 6.81 = 72.73 Kg (Lean body mass in Kg)
4. 72.73 x 2.75 = 200.00 (grams of protein recommended to build and repair muscle)

Or you can just multiple your weight in pounds by 1.1 and you get something similar.. 175 x 1.1 = 192.5 grams.

I don’t think anyone really knows the EXACT amount of protein your body needs to successful build muscle. My trainer says one thing, some guy on the internet says something else. For that reason I stick with 1.1 times your weight in pounds to calculate grams of protein needed to build muscle. It’s easier to remember and it’s close enough.

Eating Enough Protein

Personally I sometimes find it difficult to eat the recommended amount of protein per day to build muscle. It requires me to eat protein at every meal of the day and it’s hard sometimes. For example I eat 5-7 times a day and protein is on the menu at each meal but sometimes I just want a carb instead. Downing a protein shake is easy and usually tasty, it’s an easy 35 grams of protein.  I usually have Chicken breast in the fridge at all times. In the morning I have eggs with sometimes other protein and of course a carb or two. My breakfast are usually an easy 700-900 calories most days. On average I would say I eat 150-200 grams of protein per day and I build muscle but it must tell you it was a lot easier to lose weight rather then to build muscle. It actually takes more effort I think to gain muscle, that’s my opinion at least.

Too Much Protein?

Too much protein is generally not a problem if you make sure to drink plenty of WATER during the day, you stay away from high fat proteins and you’re generally healthy already. As I’m only in my 20s, it may sound out of place to say this, but attempting to build muscle in your late 50s and older is something I don’t recommend. The fact is the process of building muscle first requires tearing down the muscle and building up again.. as we age this becomes a lot harder to do. Look at Arnold Schwarzenegger.

High Protein Foods

Know that an ounce of meat or fish has approximately 7 grams of protein in it.

• Beef (Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein; Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams; Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce)
• Chicken (Chicken breast, 3.5 oz – 30 grams protein; Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size); Drumstick – 11 grams; Wing – 6 grams; Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams)
• Fish (Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce; Tuna, 6 oz can – 40 grams of protein)
• Pork (Pork chop, average – 22 grams protein; Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams; Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams; Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams; Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams; Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams)
• Eggs and Dairy (Egg, large – 6 grams protein; Milk, 1 cup – 8 grams; Cottage cheese, ½ cup – 15 grams; Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label; Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz; Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz; Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz)
• Beans (including soy) (Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein; Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams; Soy milk, 1 cup – 6 -10 grams; Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans; Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein; Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams)
• Nuts and Seeds (Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons – 8 grams protein; Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams; Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams; Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams; Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams; Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams; Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams; Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams)

Added Benefits

Protein is filling, it takes longer to digest meaning you stay full longer (makes it easier to lose weight). Your body doesn’t store protein as fat (excess is ‘removed’ from your system rather then stored). This doesn’t mean fried Chicken is good for you, on the contrary. You want to try and stay away from fatty proteins and focus mostly on healthy lean proteins. That’s about it.

How much protein do you include in your diet?

Jay,
Current Weight: 174lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2600
Current Body Fat: 10%

Staying Focused During the Holidays

Posted on 09. Dec, 2010 by Jay.

It’s the busy time of the year again, and pretty much every has something else to do but focus on weight loss and eating right. Even though I’m crazy busy like everyone else, I do find time to workout 1-2 hours every other day. It’s a norm for me now and rewarding especially since I dumped the gym membership and moved to the garage. Yep, I’m full time working out in the garage now and it’s great. I have pretty much everything I need to get a full workout, even an elliptical machine.

My recent gym equipment: Iron Gym Extreme

Some pictures of my home gym.

It’s so much easier and it saves time working out at home then getting ready for the gym, driving to the gym and then driving back home. At least that’s the case for me. I find when I go to the gym it easily takes up 3-4 hours in the day. When I workout at home it takes up about 2-3 hours of time instead. I like working out but like other people I have other things to do and I don’t like wasting time.

I think my body wants to stay under 175 pounds, today I’m at 172 pounds and 9.2% body fat. I don’t know how that is because I have been eating a lot (at least I think it’s a lot) and eating more high calorie foods. On average I eat 2700-3000 calories per day. I eat mostly proteins, fruits and random carbs. I try to limit my carbs after 7PM, only eat proteins after that time. At every meal I eat some sort of protein with usually a healthy carb. I do eat chips and other goodies every once in awhile though. Actually I have chips pretty much everyday.

By the way the Iron Gym Extreme I got a few weeks back I think is REALLY increasing my strength. It works my arms and back big time. Look into it if you want to increase your workout efforts. It really does a great job.

That’s it for an update.

Jay,
Current Weight: 172lbs.
Body Fat: 9.2%
Calories Per Day: 2600
Current Body Fat: dunno

Morning Exercise?

Posted on 27. Nov, 2010 by Jay.

I question whether exercising in the morning is better then exercising any other time of the day.

I wrote a post about a year ago that asked “what time of the day was the best time to workout?“; in the post I decided sometime in the mid afternoon was best because that’s when your muscles are fully warmed up and ready to go. I find this to be true in my case because in the early morning I’m somewhat zombie like for the first couple hours. And I don’t drink coffee because it’s effects don’t last long enough to warrant the time needed to setup, run and clean the coffee machine. That’s just me though.

However my doctor suggested that in the morning I should workout. So far he has suggested a certain time of the day that I wake up and go to sleep. For the longest time I have been the type of person to goes to sleep when they are tired and wake up when I was ready to wake up. This to me was okay because I work from home. The only bad thing about it this was I would wake up and go to sleep about an hour or two LATER each and every day. The sun did not effect my sleeping pattern. So one day I would wake up at 5pm and go to sleep maybe 18-19 hours later. The next day I would wake up at 6pm and go to sleep again maybe 18-19 hours later. And so on…

This was not good for social reasons and so I listened to my doctor and now I go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday.  Something that has effected me for 6-7 years (erratic sleeping pattern) was fixed with one suggestion from my doctor. Thanks Doc!

Now he suggest to workout in the morning. I question whether to follow this advice though. I do find when I workout early that I have energy and focus to work for the rest of the day. The only thing is I don’t want to injury myself by lifting heavy while not warmed up. That and I have my mornings pretty much set already. I wake up, eat breakfast, check on the business and then continue with the rest of the day. I’m learning structure is very important and until a few weeks ago I had very little structure in my life.

Maybe I’m just weird and I should just try it out. What do you think?

Jay,
Current Weight: 172.1lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2600
Current Body Fat: dunno

Iron Gym Extreme

Posted on 19. Nov, 2010 by Jay.

The Ultimate Upper Body Workout & Nutrition Guide..

Last night I finally took the time to put together my Iron Gym Extreme, which was surprisingly very easy to do and hardly took any time. It even came with the necessary tool to do the job.

It mounts on the door frame effortlessly. There is a safety pin that keeps it in place which fit without an issue. Once secure you’re good to go.

You can do a lot of different exercises with Iron Gym. I haven’t used it yet in a workout but I found it effective trying it out 5-minutes ago when I took these pictures.

One interesting piece of materiel that came with Iron Gym was it’s eating recommendations.

Eating Recommendations from Iron Gym:

• Eat at least six meals daily.
• Make each meal count. If you eat anything, consider it a meal.
• Eliminate any and all refined sugars and sweets.
• Reduce caffeine intake and increase water intake (should be half your body weight in ounces). No Alcohol!
• All heavy starches to be consumed by 1pm or 3rd meal of the day. For example: bread, pasta and rice.
• 1 serving of protein should be consumed with every meal. For example: (4-6 ounce piece is considered 1 serving).
• Limit dairy intake to 1st or 2nd meal.
• All fruits should be consumed before 1pm. No fruit juice!
• Multi-vitamin everyday.
• Maximum amount of time between meals: 3 hours.
• Protein always first choice then carbohydrates to be added.
• Limit sugary condiments such as salad dressings.
• Meal replacement bars and shakes to be used if sugar free.

I think these are some great suggestions and if followed would result in a much healthier person. That and watching your calorie intake of course. And these recommendations seem to be repeated from most trainers I talk to. Most important ones are to spread out your meals in a day (eat at least 6-times a day). Maximum amount of time between meals to be 3 hours. Focus on protein, limit caffeine and drink plenty of water.

It’s pretty much what I have followed for the past year and it works.

My calorie counting notepad is full everyday. Every 2-3 hours a day I have something new written down. I eat all day long yet I’ve lost over 150 pounds. When I first thought about this concept, I thought how could that help me? It would just make me bigger, right? Well you don’t want to eat an entire pizza 6-7 times a day. You want to focus on smaller healthy foods that are protein rich so you never get hungry throughout the day and ruin your diet when you crash starving at night time. I don’t think we humans are meant to eat just 3 large meals in a day.. society messed us up with that one.

I’m gaining some weight back. I’m at 172 this morning.

Eating more more more!

Jay,
Current Weight: 172lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2600
Current Body Fat: 9.9%

Still Losing Weight…

Posted on 16. Nov, 2010 by Jay.

A problem I never thought I would have.

Today I woke up at 170 pounds – a random 4-pound weight loss from a few days ago.

Looking over the calories log, yesterday I ate 2,060 calories. I could of swore I ate more then that but I haven’t been adding up my calories at the end of the day and didn’t notice.

The day before I ate 3,010 calories, so that wasn’t bad. Then the day before that I ate 2,230 calories.

Looking back even further it seems I average around 2,300 calories a day. Which isn’t enough.

I did not exercise yesterday or the day before. I DID go to Starbucks and have some Black TEA though. I had two LARGE non-sweet black teas. And since tea is a diuretic I’m sure I may have been dehydrated at the end of the day. I’m pretty sure that is the reason for the sudden weight loss this morning. At least I hope so.

I checked a quick calorie calculator and it says that in order for me to stay at 175-pounds, I need to consume 2411 calories per day.

That sounds about right to me..

So new goal is instead of eating whatever and however many calories I want in a day.. I’m going to focus on eating 2600 calories per day (since I’m working on building muscle) and stick to that for awhile.

New goal set: Daily 2600 calories a day!

Once thing I did notice is body wise I’m looking fit! The thing that I’m concerned about is face weight loss. It seems the lower my body-fat is the more it shows on my face and that’s not kosher. Lol, I have been chewing a lot of gum in an attempt to build facial muscles.. I’m hoping in a month or two I’ll see results!

Fun times..

Jay,
Current Weight: 170lbs.
Calories Per Day: 2600
Current Body Fat: 10.5%

New Pictures

Posted on 11. Nov, 2010 by Jay.

I just noticed I haven’t uploaded any new pictures in awhile.

The last one I posted is from July of this year. I’m on the far LEFT. And this one which was in June. I’m 188 here. So it’s been a good 3-4 months since the LAST update..

Here I am a few days ago..I’m 174 lbs here and pretty much I’ve been at the same weight since August of this year. I’m working on building muscle for the most part!

In the dirty bathroom.

Such a Pro.. white t-shirt and cool jeans do it all the time.

And this is me just short of a YEAR ago.. I think I was 270ish here.

Time fly’s..

Jay,
Current Weight: 174lbs.
Blog Starting Weight: 268 lbs.
Heaviest Weight: 336 lbs.
Current Body Fat: 10.1%