Posts Tagged ‘lose weight’

How to use the Harris Benedict Equation to lose weight

November 16th, 2009 admin

Today, on “Confessions of Yesterdays Fat Guy” we get to watch Rex eat Crow and Humble Pie as part of his calorie intake… ;) !! Good grief…

As I mentioned in my last post, when you make a decision to take on a fitness or weight loss program, follow it to the letter, EVEN IF you question it. After all, you spent money on that program so it should stand to reason that the experts SHOULD know what they are talking about… “Have a little faith Rex…” LOL!

Anyhow… today I want to take a few minutes to share something that is making a huge difference in my weight loss journey… the Harris Benedict Equation.

For those who are unfamiliar, the Harris Benedict Equation is a formulation developed to help people determine their BMI (Basic Metabolic Rate) and utilize basic math to either gain or lose weight based on their needs, wants or desires.

For those who want to lose weight, there is A LOT of good news for you in using this equation.

Here is what the equation looks like for both men and women. There are two separate scales for each… one in pounds (LBS) and one in kilograms (KG):

BMR calculation for men (KG): BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kg ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.76 x age in years )
BMR calculation for men (LBS): BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.76 x age in years )

BMR calculation for women (KG): BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
BMR calculation for women (LBS): BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )

From here, we take the first calculation and do a second calculation based on this scale…

Little to no exercise: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1-3 days per week): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.375
Moderate exercise (3-5 days per week): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6-7 days per week): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts): Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.9

Depending on your current weight you will either be delighted or horrified based on your current eating habits. If you are underweight and want to gain muscle mass then this scale might be looked on as your friend. If you are severely obese and are eating 10,000 calories per day (consisting of Big Macs, bon bons and monkey bread) then you are might be disappointed based on your current mindset. Always remember though that “when you change your mind, your body WILL follow!”

For the first three weeks of Insanity I ignored this scale and went about the exercises while trying to stay under 2000 calories per day THINKING that the numbers this scale gave me couldn’t be right so if I cut huge calories I should lose massive weight. Guess what, I didn’t lose a pound… in fact, I fluctuated up and down by two pounds for the better part of three weeks.

If you don’t follow these numbers to the letter you can count on ZERO results when it comes to fat and weight loss. Long story short, if you are going to work out at that level your body NEEDS the fuel so it’s okay to eat, just make sure it’s healthy and managed.

Here’s what the scale looks like for me, right now…

Scale: 66 + (6.23 X Weight In Pounds) + (12.7 X
Height In Inches) – (6.8 X Age In Years) = TOTAL
X 1.55 or 1.7 based on exercise volume.

- 500 for weight loss
-0 if you want to stay the same
+ 500 if you want to gain weight

66 + 1713.25 = 1779.25
12.7 X 71.5 = 908.05
6.8 X 39 = 265.2

4117.57 – 500 = 3617.57

Can you believe that? I should be eating 3617.57 calories per day to lose weight? I couldn’t believe it! In fact, like I stated above, I doubted it! Turns out I was wrong. I started eating the way the Insanity Nutrition Guide told me to and the weight started coming off again.

Why? Because my body needs the calories for fuel. I’m working out twice a day. I lift weights every other morning alternated with daily cardio at the gym and then I do Shaun T’s Insanity workout in the evening. Now that I’ve been doing this daily for a month my metabolism is insane! The reason I’m losing weight is because even though I’m eating 3600 calories per day, my body is burning even more than that, thus the weight loss.

If you don’t eat enough to fuel your body bad things happen like catabolism where your body is breaking down healthy tissue for fuel (you don’t want that) or it will actually hold on to the fat it has already stored (versus burning it) because it’s believes it needs to because your aren’t giving it enough fuel.

Think of your body like a car. If you don’t give a car enough fuel it goes very slow or won’t run at all. If you pump the gas to much the car can become flooded and not start because the engine is getting to much fuel. The same thing applies to your body when it comes to food. If you don’t give it enough it will feel sluggish and tired and not do what you want it to do. If you give it to much fuel (over eat) you feel bloated and slow and fat. There has to be a balance.

You might even go so far as to say that we’ve all been lead astray with the thinking that we need three square meals per day. This is old school thinking and certainly doesn’t fit into a program of extreme fitness and/or weight loss. To keep your metabolism working for you, you need a consistent routine of strength training to build muscle, cardio exercise to burn fat and frequent, smaller meals throughout the day to keep the body working at peak performance.

Eating healthy is vital. You can’t do this and still eat garbage that isn’t good for you. When this system is combined with quality, “good for your body” foods then you have a plan of attack for getting healthy and fit!

With the nutrition program I’m following right now I can even have peanut butter sandwiches again! It’s not all about veggies and protein like so many want you to believe. In fact, the right amount of carbs, especially for muscle development, is essential to both weight gain or weight loss. The difference now? My PB and J isn’t the standard white bread, sugar loaded jelly and gobs of peanut butter, it’s 2 tbsp. of low fat peanut butter on healthy 12 grain bread with fresh blue berries instead of jelly… and you know what? It’s WAY better than the other!

Well, I’ve rambled on enough here and it’s time for my pre-workout snack before I head to the gym. I hope you have found this information useful.

Have a great day and God bless!

Rex – Yesterdays Fat Guy

Click here to start Shaun T’s Insanity Today!

Posted in Weight Loss Concepts, What's New? Tags: , , , 2 Comments »

Sometimes you’ve gotta’ go up to go down!

November 13th, 2009 admin

I never would have guessed that I would have to eat more and take on more calories to get passed the current weight loss plateau. If you’ve been reading this blog you might be wondering why the number up in the right hand corner hasn’t moved in over a month? It’s simple… because my weight hasn’t moved much because I THOUGHT I knew better than the experts.

When I started Insanity I weighed 274 pounds. As of a week and a half ago, I still weighed 274 pounds. It didn’t matter how hard I exercised, no more weight was coming off.Here’s why…

It turns out that my daily calorie intake of 2000 wasn’t supporting all of the exercise. In talking with a friend of mine (Tom Lavigne, a certified trainer), he explained to me that my body was actually holding on to the fat because it wasn’t getting enough to feed the muscle I was building.

Turns out, he was right. After going back through the Insanity nutrition guide and using the Harris Benedict Equation to figure my daily calorie needs, it turned out that I should actually be eating 3600 calories per day to lose weight. Crazy right? Well…

When he told me I need to increase calories to between 2500 and 3000 I thought he had lost his freakin’ mind.

When told me I need to increase calories to between 2500 and 3000 I thought he had lost his freakin’ mind Based on those figures and following Toms advice (you can meet Tom by clicking here) I increased my calories and guess what? I GAINED FOUR POUNDS in two days! I was horrified! Nonetheless, I put my faith in Toms’ wisdom and the Insanity nutrition guide and did as I was shown to do.

Sure enough, after three more days I had dropped two pounds! Today, I’m losing an average of 1.6 pounds per day consuming 3000 calories per day plus my gym workout and Insanity. Looks like we’ve finally got this dialed in. I woke up today to find myself getting ready to FINALLY get out of the 270’s and into the 260’s with a weight of 271 pounds this morning on the bathroom scale and 269.5 on the gym scale!

What’s the moral of the story? Listen to those who know what they are talking about and don’t second guess. I’ve heard from many others using Insanity and P90X who have experienced the same thing. If you are exercising with that kind of intensity, your body needs the calories so follow the nutrition to the letter and you’ll get amazing results!  Trust me, when your body starts building this kind of muscle you will need the calories.

For the guys (sorry ladies)… I picked up a book published by Mens Health, the other day, called “The Mens Health Hard Body Plan – The ULTIMATE 12 Week Program for Burning Fat and Building Muscle.” This is an awesome book! If you are getting into the use of weights this is perfect. Everything you need nutrition and fitness wise is contained within the pages of this workout bible. I’ve had a hard time putting it down… there’s a ton of great information.

I’ve posted some updated pics (above) for those who have been wondering how the Insanity conversion is going. I’m getting ready to wrap up week number four and I can’t believe the difference between todays pic and the pick on day 1.

I’m starting to see some muscle showing through (there was a lot of fat to burn!) but what I’m noticing more than anything is the huge increase in conditioning and endurance.  What I’m able to do on the treadmill, at the gym, is leagues above what I was doing before I started Shaun T’s Insanity workout.

For those of you considering Insanity, my advice is DO IT, but DO IT BY THE BOOK!  Follow the nutrition to the letter using the Harris & Bartman equation outlined in the nutrition guide.  If it tells you that you should be eating 3500 calories per day to lose weight, then EAT the calories!  Eat healthy, but eat!  I wasn’t eating nearly enough and I paid the price with my weight loss… nearly a whole month without losing any.  The plan works so stick to it!

Have a great weekend!

Rex – Yesterdays Fat Guy


Posted in Updates & Reports, What's New? Tags: , , , , 4 Comments »

Finding a weight loss program that’s right for you!

September 25th, 2009 admin

The race to fitness is on and a lot of people are getting into the band wagon. Some people do it to achieve a sexy body, some people just do it because they are embarrassed with the body they have now, while others do it simply to remain fit and heatlthy. As such, many fitness programs are out in the internet, in gyms, spas and fitness centers all over. Some are too expensive to afford that one may even lose weight just by trying to work out the money needed to pursue these fitness programs.

One may not have to go to the gym or the spa or any fitness center and spend much just to slim down to obtain that longed for sexy body. There are many books available in the bookstore which offer weight loss programs which are convenient and for free, of course the books are not though. These weight loss programs, or diet plans are gaining immense popularity with so much publicity, testimonials and reviews that one may be confused which exactly to follow. So before choosing which weight loss plan to follow, try reading these summaries about the most popular diet programs out today.

Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkins. This weight loss program encourages high protein diet and a trim down on the carbs. One can feast on vegetables and meat but should fast on bread and pasta. One is also not restricted against fat intake so it is okay to pour in the salad dressing and freely spread on the butter. However, after the diet, one may find himself lacking on fiber and calcium yet high in fat. Intake of grains and fruits are also limited.

Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet by Drs. Heller. This diet plan advocates low carbohyrate eating. Approves on eating meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. however, warns against taking in too much carb. “Reward” meal can be too high on fats and saturated fats.

Choose to Lose by Dr. Goor. Restrains fat intake. One is given a “fat” budget and he is given the liberty on how to spend it. It does not pressure the individual to watch his carbohydrate intake. Eating meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafoods is okay. A go signal is also given on eating vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss plan is fairly healthy, good amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch triglyceride levels though; if high, trim down the carbohydrates and tuck in more of the unsaturated fats.

The DASH Diet. Advocates moderate amounts of fat and protein intake and high on carbs. Primarily designed to lower blood pressure, the diet plan follows the pyramid food guide and encourages high intake of whole wheat grains as well as fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. Some dieters think it advocates too much eating to procure significant weight loss.

Eat More, Weigh Less by Dr. Ornish. Primarily vegetarian fare and strictly low-fat. Gives the go signal on the “glow” foods but warns to watch it on non-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet is poor in calcium and retricts consumption of healthy foods like seafoods and lean poultry.

Eat Right for Your Type. Interesting because it is based on the person’s blood type. recommends plenty of mest for people with the blood type O. Diet plans for some blood types are nutritionally imbalanced and too low in calories. And for the record, there is even no proof that blood type affects dietary needs.

The Pritkin Principle. Focused on trimming the calorie density in eating by suggesting watery foods that make one feel full. Eating vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy is okay. Although limits protein sources to lean meat, pseafood and poultry. Although it is healthy by providing low amounts of saturated fats and rich amounts of vegetables and fruits, it is also low on calcium and limits lean protein sources.

Volumetrics. For low-density calorie eating. Recommends the same foodstuff as Pritkin but restricts fatty or dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This plan is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as being low in calorie density and saturated fats.

The Zone. Moderately low on the carbs yet moderately high on the proteins. Encourages low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus veggies, fruits and grains. It is also healthy but lacking in grains and calcium.

Weight Watchers. High carbohydrates, moderate on fats and proteins. A very healthy diet plan and very flexible too. it allows the dieter to plan his own meal rather than give him a set to follow.

*This post compliments of the Mind and Body Makeover where there are more than 400 PLR articles that you can use for content on your blog or website. Click here to get it free!

Cheers!

Rex – Yesterdays Fat Guy

P90x Extreme Home Fitness with Tony Horton – Set of 13 Dvds

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Can cheese cake and weight loss work together?

September 24th, 2009 admin

So how about it? Can those of us who are working our tails off to get fit and lose weight have cheesecake? How about a bit FAT whopping YES! (pun totally intended!)

The more time I spend on this weight loss journey the more I am becoming a firm believer in calorie management. If you follow the numbers, the numbers work.

The universal truth to weight loss (this is the foundation of any program) is calories in, calories out. The way we manipulate our diet will allow us to get more calories out before we touch exercise. We accelerate weight loss (gym)… through calories out, calories out. – Jillian Michaels

If you use the numbers correctly (and have the right recipe, of course) then guess what? You can have cheesecake! Everything in moderation, of course! Are you with me? Cool!

Alright! So let’s take a look at one of the awesome recipe’s from inside the Mind and Body Makeover. Yes, that’s a blatant and shameless sales pitch, but the Mind and Body Makeover is free for Pete’s sake, so that should take the sting out… ;)

Not only is this recipe low cal it’s also diabetic safe!

LO-CAL CHEESE CAKE

12 oz. low fat Ricotta cheese
4 eggs, separated
3/4 c. Fruit Sweet
Grated peel of 1 lemon
3 graham crackers, finely crushed
12 oz. low fat cottage cheese
2/3 c. non-instant milk powder
5 tbsp. lemon juice or to taste
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Butter or oleo for pan

Put cheese in process with egg yolks and Fruit Sweet and blend. Add milk, powder and process until smooth. Add vanilla, lemon juice and peel to cheese mixture. Blend until smooth. Beat egg whites until frothy, then add to the processor and blend for about 2 seconds, until mixed. Butter the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides of a 9″ springform
pan.

Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the pan and shake until buttered area is coated. Leave any extra on the bottom. Pour cheesecake mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees with a pan of water in the oven to prevent drying. Bake for 45 minutes or until inserted knife emerges clean. Cool. May serve with Wax Orchards All-Fruit Fanciful preserve of your choice. Variations: All cottage or all ricotta cheese may be used. For standard cream cheese cake, substitute 24 ounces cream cheese, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup powdered milk and 2/3 cup Fruit Sweet. Adjust lemon.

So let’s break this down… 12 oz. of low fat ricotta cheese starts us off at 85 calories. The four egg whites needed account for 68 calories. Fruit Sweet is a product (comes in half gallon containers) produced by Wax Farms and is available through your local organic food store or farmers market. It will account for 280 calories for 100 grams so 3/4 of a cup is 102 grams so we’re looking at 282 calories there. The grated peel of 1 lemon peel doesn’t count for much, but we’ll call it 5 calories. 3 graham crackers (if you use the low fat by Honey Maid) will account for 50 calories. A cup and a half of low fat cottage cheese totals 180 calories. 300 total calories in 2/3 of a cup on non fat powdered milk. 15 calories in 5 tbsp. of lemon juice. 24 calories in 2 tbsp. of vanilla extract and, finally, add 20 calories for the low fat margarine you will use to grease your pan.

In total, that’s 1014 calories for the entire dish. Broken down into 8 servings that’s 126.75 calories per serving. Compare that to a standard slice of cheesecake where you are looking at 220 to over 350 calories per slice.

You will find this recipe along with 499 other low calorie and diabetic safe recipes inside the Mind and Body Makeover, so enjoy!

Cheers!

Rex

Click here to download the Mind and Body Makeover In a Box!

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Appetite suppression and weight loss, what works?

September 23rd, 2009 admin

Every now and again, when I log in to my Twitter account, I find something of value. As I was updating my Twitter background today I a Tweet came through talking of Fenugreek Extract and how it may aid in weight loss as an appetite suppressant.

I know that many of the people I have talked to, who are also on a weight loss journey, have shared their struggles with appetite. For some there’s a constant craving for food because the over eating has become an addiction ingrained in the mind. For others, the cravings hit at different times of the day with the most common hitting for many at night once they have become idle. Night time eating has been a huge struggle for me, so I can certainly relate.

There are several strategies for reducing appetite, when it comes to food. It has been said that protein and fiber help reduce appetite because they make you feel full for longer periods at a time. There are also numerous weight loss products available to help suppress appetite. I suppose this means that I could eat oatmeal or brand flakes in the morning if I were so inclined…

… but if those of us who are severely overweight are willing to be honest, many of us will agree that the reason our appetite has gotten out of control is because we have TRAINED it to be out of control. Think about it… the more we eat, the more we crave food, thus, our appetite has increased. But in this case it’s not a hungry body craving food, it’s an idle mind telling us to take action and eat.

Tell me if this doesn’t sound familiar… you’ve gone most of the day with very little to eat because you knew that you were going to pig out at dinner time. You know… hit the buffet, grab a big burger and fries, maybe even a beer if you’re so inclined…

… we save up for the occasion! Night time rolls around, you’ve only eaten one meal that day (however large it may have been) so now that mental hunger hits. Because of the fact that we starved ourselves all day it becomes easy to justify eating at night because, after all, we’ve only eaten once today. We don’t think about the fact that the one time we did eat, we probably consumed enough calories to carry ourselves through an entire day plus.

This was the story of my life for many years. What happens, I believe, is that many of us begin to mistake appetite for habit. A habit can nag and pull at you just as much, even more perhaps, than an actual healthy appetite for food. It becomes a vicious cycle and we begin to search for ways to reduce our appetite… but we’re still hungry, or so we think.

This type of appetite is going to be best suppressed in the mind. It’s our mind that has been trained by our bad habits so in order to break those bad habits we need to retrain our mind with good habits. I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but I’m a firm believer (and I’m in the process of proving my theory) that when we take the initiative to get our mind in shape, our body will follow.

I found a great blog, last night, over on Blog Catalog entitled “Feel Thin and Be Thin.” In short, this is a blog that talks of utilizing the Law of Attraction as a weight loss method, which was right up my alley! I’m a huge believer in the Law of Attraction and have been using this for weight loss all year because it works.

It sounds a bit on the “to simple” side, but I assure you that there is nothing simple about it. The mental exercise required to recreate yourself is ever bit as intense as physical exercise. In fact, it is strenuous to the point that most people fail to put this Universal Law into action because it requires so much work. But, if you REALLY WANT to lose weight and make a change for the better in life then it’s well worth the effort.

The appetite of our mind needs to be nourished just as our bodies appetite. When these two appetites get out of sync or confused? Well, those of us who have dealt with being 100 pounds, or more, over weight have see the gruesome results.

Get the mind fit and the body will follow… think and feel fit and healthy, BE fit and healthy!

Cheers!

Rex

Click here to get your mental makeover on mp3 for free!

Posted in Weight Loss Concepts Tags: , , , , 5 Comments »

Are we making weight loss harder than it needs to be?

September 21st, 2009 admin

Every time you turn around there’s a new way to lose weight. From tripping your Skinny Switch to the latest in fitness machines someone seems to have an answer that is better than all of the rest.

While doing some work inside of Daily Burn recently I read a comment to a blog post that made more sense to me, concerning weight loss, than just about anything I’ve ever read on the subject. Long story short, the message was simple… reduce your food intake and get more exercise.

Let’s look at both sides of this formula for moment starting with the reduction of food intake. The simple reason people gain weight is because they consume high calorie and/or large quantities of food without burning it off. Food is fuel for our body, if we don’t use it then it’s stored as fat… pretty simple. Now, looking at the second half of this equation, exercise (movement, activity) burns off the food we take in.

If we look at ANY weight loss program or fitness machine we will see that they have been developed to help us either reduce our food intake and/or increase our exercise. Do we really need a fancy program or fitness machine to help us do this? Quite honestly, no we do not. Here’s why…

While there are those who will argue the point, the simple truth is that counting and monitoring calories is a great way to monitor food intake. It allows us to utilize simple math to determine the amount of FUEL we are consuming to make our body run. Utilizing the nutrition label on the side of a box for finding a free calorie calculator online will help us make this determination.

If we can commit to making this simple change to our life and understand that, in most cases, we can thrive on 1500 to 2000 calories per day (and we are willing to monitor that) then we can simply add some basic exercise (along with our daily routine) to burn the calories we need to lose weight. It’s really very simple!

As stated by the gentlemen whose comment I read on Daily Burn, he’s just making sure that he consumes no more than 2000 calories per day. To burn it off, he’s made the commitment to burn calories each day by walking at a steady pace for a half an hour. This is all he is doing and the weight is coming off. He also went on to mention that he’s eating whatever types of food he wants, he’s just staying inside the numerical limit of 2000.

If I may be so bold as to add my 2 cents here, this really comes down to a commitment on the part of the person who wants to lose the weight. You must make a decision and stick to it. Once you do that you will get the results you are looking for.

I find it very difficult to believe that anyone who says they want to lose weight couldn’t make a decision to start here, provided they have the physical capabilities to walk for a half an hour everyday. You have to want it if it’s every going to happen for you.

Cheers!

Rex

Posted in Weight Loss Concepts, What's New? Tags: , , , 3 Comments »

Website review: www.thisiswhyyourefat.com

September 18th, 2009 admin

I was watching my late local news tonight when they ran a segment on a website known as ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com. According to our local news this website has become quite the sensation.

To satisfy my curiosity I fired up the web browser and took a gander. When you take your first look at the site you will see what I mean when I say “holy sh**!” Their catch phrase “this is where dreams become heart attacks” sums up the content of this site to a “t!”

Do people really eat like this? Yes, I’m a recovering fat guy and yes, I used to eat like a hog, I have no problem admitting that. However, I can say with a clean conscience that I have never stayed up at night trying to figure out the best way to kill myself with a deep fried double chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon housed in between, you guessed it, to more chicken breasts. Wait until you see it, it’s a site to behold. If people are actually eating things like this it’s now wonder why there are so many people who need to lose weight.

On a serious note, before you head over for a gander, I think it’s important to realize, that even though ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com was created in fun (and you’ll probably find it either amusing, disturbing or a bit of both) that the people in the the U.S. and around the globe are not struggling with their weight because they are eating carnival food 24/7. The truth behind the food consumption of the overweight and obese is primarily portion control and turning to food out of boredom, anger, stress and/or anxiety. The real side of obesity can be found while sitting on the couch eating a pound bag peanut M & M’s (guilty, I’ve done it…) or a half a gallon of Ben and Jerry’s.

If you are struggling with a weight issue, regardless of how large you have become, it can be overcome… no one is to far gone.

Enjoy your visit to ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com, it’s a “site” to behold, (no pun intended…)!

Cheers!

Rex

Posted in What's New? Tags: 4 Comments »

What is your BMI (Body Mass Index)?

September 5th, 2009 admin

The other day, while chatting with someone online, the term BMI was used to share a persons size, versus their weight… but what does that mean to those of us who want to lose weight? While I had heard the term before I didn’t know how to calculate it, it’s significance in weight loss or if it was even that important.

After taking some time to do some research online, concerning BMI (Body Mass Index) I learned several interesting facts, including the importance thereof.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a calculation of both height and weight to determine on of four levels of health. Those four levels include underweight, normal, overweight and obese. BMI is used as a screening tool to calculate potential weight problems in adults.

While this tool is interesting, I still believe that my favorite two tools for estimating my weight and the amount I need to lose stand the test of time. Those tools are the mirror and the scales at the gym. When I look in the mirror I can easily see there’s a problem that needs to be resolved and the scales confirm it.

Nonetheless, I found a cool little Google Gadget for calculating BMI and have added it to the right hand column of Yesterdays Fat Guy if anyone would like to try it out. In running my numbers I found out that my current Body Mass Index is 39. My ideal (based on crunching some numbers) would be between 18 and 24 were my BMI to fall in the normal category for my height.

You just never know what you will learn when you take a few minutes to search the web.

Click either of the links in this post to learn more about BMI (Body Mass Index).

Cheers!

Rex

Posted in Weight Loss Concepts Tags: , 1 Comment »

How to (and why it’s helpful to) start a weight loss blog

August 31st, 2009 admin

Have you ever looked at the number of searches conducted on Google, everyday, containing the word “weight loss?” Check this out…

If you read into this there are several things that you can attribute to this type of demand for information…

1.) There are a lot of people in the world who want to lose weight…
2.) There are a lot of people who want to sell weight loss products…

I’m sure we could go on and on. My theory is this… the demand for information concerning weight loss is so huge because the failure rate is so high. I’ve looked at a few of the top ranking web sites concerning this and they report that “95% of those who lose weight eventually gain it back within three years. Beyond 3 years that failure rate is even worse.” I believe that much of the search for info is for people who have tried and failed once, twice or even more, but are still looking for that one thing that it going to make the difference.

I’d love to sit here and say that, at last, I’ve finally found the solution that has worked after all of these years, but the fact remains that I have a long way to go. In my mind I certainly “feel” and “believe” that things are different this time… so I better keep “believing” if I want the changes to stick this time around.

That being said, one of the things that his helping me stay on point is this blog. Creating this weight loss blog keeps me accountable which helps tremendously. It gives me a place to share the experience as well as “see” the results from a different perspective than I’ve seen them in before.

What’s more, it puts me in front of an audience that helps to hold me accountable. It also allows the the opportunity to be part of a network of people who are going through a similar change in their life.

While there are several key components to successful weight loss, a blog certainly helps if you are brave enough to share your experience with the world. If you have been struggling to lose the weight you want to lose I highly recommend that you give a weight loss blog some serious thought. It’s helping me, and as is demonstrated in the link menu on the right, it’s helping many others as well.

Starting a weight loss blog is not as difficult as it might seem. You can register for a free blog through Wordpress.com or Blogger.com. Even those with basic skills will find that it’s pretty easy to add content, share pictures and video… you might even make a little extra money promoting a few weight loss products.

Cheers!

Rex

Posted in Business & Marketing, Weight Loss Concepts Tags: , , , , 1 Comment »

Managing a coumadin diet while losing weight

August 27th, 2009 admin

As the proud owner of a mechanical heart valve a blood thinner called coumadin (warfarin) comes with the package. In most areas of life coumadin is nothing more than a 10 second inconvenience in the morning… unless you are making dietary and life style changes.

I’ve not been on coumadin for the better part of a year and I’m finding that even after this much time has passed if I make changes that are to drastic, then there are consequences.

Ideally, as the recipient of a mechanical heart valve my coumadin level (according to my cardiologist) should run at at PT-INR of 3. After being tested today I found that (after another dietary change last week) that mine had dropped to a 1.3… not good. When it gets that low, you can certainly feel it.

For those of you working to lose weight and increase exercise, and are a daily user of coumadin (warfarin), here are some rules of thumb to follow concerning a proper coumadin diet:

1.) Watch your vitamin k intake – Vitamin K changes the way that warfarin affects your blog. Vitamin K is prevalent in green leafy vegetables, like spinach, for example. It’s unfortunate because spinach is a great dietary food, it’s good for you, has some protein and is very low in fat and calories. It also suppresses the appetite (at least it does mine.) I still eat spinach but it’s in moderation. Also watch peanuts, peas and legumes.

2.) Alcohol consumption – in short, alcohol and warfarin do not mix and consumption of alcoholic beverages should be avoided as not to affect the medicine in your system.

3.) Manage your diet - you can eat healthy, lose weight and keep your calorie budget in check without hurting your coumadin levels. There are several free resources available online where you can get ideas and even set up a meal plan as illustrated in the image below:

Here are a couple of great resources you can use to manage and monitor your coumadin diet: Dr.Gourmet – Managing Your Warfarin (pdf) – Coumadin Side Effects

The worst side effect I have noticed from coumadin are visual disturbances. I’ve noticed cloudy, distorted vision from time to time as well as something like seeing stars. These, for me, are usually signs that my coumadin is too low. I’ve also noticed some slight redness (rash) on my face from time to time but have found that lotion seems to help as well as getting some sun. If your valve is like mine then you are going to hear it 24 hours per day, 7 days per week as well. If you are a candidate for a heart valve replacement MAKE SURE to talk to your surgeon about the valve you are going to receive and if there are other options.

Always consult your doctor before making any major changes to your diet when on coumadin. It’s a good idea to consult your doctor anytime you are going to make a drastic lifestyle change.

In closing, having a mechanical heart valve isn’t all that bad… and if your life is in danger it’s much better than the alternative… ;) !! If anyone has any questions about having a mechanical heart valve, feel free to contact me using Twitter @rexharrislive.

Cheers!

Rex

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Calorie counting and weight loss, what I’ve learned!

August 15th, 2009 admin

Well, I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I’m an expert, because I’m not. When it comes to weight loss, nutrition, fitness, etc., I’m kind of a greenhorn. Nonetheless, here’s what I’m learning…

Managing calories to lose weight is not much different than managing money. Each day you have so much to spend based on your age, weight, activity, etc. The foods that you eat, of course, have a specific value in calories. Each time you eat something, you are spending from your daily calorie budget.

I’ve used a couple of different weight loss calculators, but to be honest, I don’t totally understand them. Most of them are telling me that I should be taking in more calories than I am. Let me show you what I’m talking about…

free calorie counter

The image above represents my current calculation based on my age, weight, height and activity level. Do you see how many calories it says I should be eating? Good grief, I’d explode! It could just be my lack of understanding (so any trainers out there, feel free to chime in on the comment board of this post) but that seems like an awful lot of food to me.

Then I looked at this information which popped up under my calorie calculations…

basic conversion of pounds to fat based on calories

… which made more sense. Now the graphics says that if I reduce what I should be eating by 500 calories per day then I can drop one pound per week. So, in my estimation, I figured if I could cut my intake by 1000 or even 1500 calories I could drop even more weight. That’s what I did. I’ve been consuming no more than 2000 calories per day (usually 1500 to 1750).

I’ve been burning a minimum of 800 calories per workout daily. I spend a half an hour on the treadmill at 3.7 mph at an incline between 7 and 9. I also do a half an hour on the elliptical machine as well as some basic muscle fitness working the back and arms on one day, legs and chest on alternate days. I’ve even been throwing in some basic exercises to work my abs like crunches and toe touches and then wrapping up each session with some time in both the steam room and the whirlpool (helps the sore muscles!)

Following this routine I dropped seven pounds last week. I haven’t felt like I have deprived my body, I’ve had plenty of energy and feel great!

Now keep in mind this is just a recording of my progress. I’m not suggesting that you go out and do that same thing. Make sure you talk to your doctor or trainer before trying anything like this.

The most significant change that I’ve noticed is that the more I learn and program into my mind, the more passionate I become about what I’m doing. As the mind can only focus on one thing at a time, if I’m focusing on the “management” of my daily intake then I’m not focusing on just eating or food. Focusing on the right things brings about change in your mind and your body.

I’ve heard people say things like “life is to short to count calories” or “I get enough exercise at work” and so on. I’ve also heard the same people gripe about being overweight and how they “should” go on a diet, blah, blah, blah. If you are serious about making a change, take action. Take action in your mind and your body will follow.

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