Almost There

Sorry Bloggers, it has been a while since I posted. I've been posting daily updates on Facebook.

HCG is doing its thing for sure. Here was my update from this morning.

HCG Status Update: Weight:192.2, Blood Pressure:118/62, Blood Glucose:102. Down 0.2 lbs today. Total Lost:24.4lbs.

The weight has really been dropping off me this time. I'm on day 28 and feeling absolutely great. There have been a few days with less than optimal loss, so on average I am just under a pound a day but I am not discouraged. This week I saw a slow down because I was lazy. I didn't get out and walk as much as I should have, though the times I could break away at work I did and really enjoyed it. It has just been hard to stay motivated at night. My walking buddy Eric was away on a business trip and it was tough for me to get myself out there.

As important as exercise is, nutrition plays and even greater role in weight loss. The personal trainer I used to see told me that exercise could only account for 20% of weight loss. The rest was what you put in your body. I am really pleased to say that I think I nailed that this time around. Some things I did differently this time than last, I started taking calcium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E and a multivitamin. I really think this has made a big difference. Even better, I switched to gummy versions of calcium, fiber and multivitamin. They are low in calorie, taste like candy and give my body what it needs. I keep a bottle of the gummy fiber drops at work and when I feel like I need to snack I will take two of those and drink some water. The effect is that mentally I feel like I enjoyed a piece of candy and physically I feel less hungry.

So here I am, 24 pounds less than I was 28 days ago. I've got my nutrition nailed down with healthy food, big salads for lunch help fill me up and I am looking for more dishes with lots of vegetables in them that I can eat. I only occasionally feel the need/desire for starches.

For the past 28 days I have not been eating the same food as the rest of the family. This week I picked a few dishes that I think will be safe for me to enjoy with them like beef and broccoli, jerk chicken and turkey burgers. In addition to that I was looking at a diabetic recipe for Kung Pao chicken that I will modify ever so slightly to be more HCG friendly. If it is a success I will post the recipe.

As for that 20% that comes from exercise, I want to share what I have been doing. In the beginning I was only walking and did a lot of that. I experienced really great results with that and plan to keep that up. I did however want to build up a little more muscle so I started researching what I might be able to do that would help me reach my goals. A trip to the local WalMart got me what I needed. First I purchased a pull up bar. It slips over the doorway in my bedroom and doesn't take up a lot of space when I am not using it. I have a long way to go to get the strength to bang out a bunch of pull-ups, so far I can only do 3 underhand grip + 2 overhand grip + 3 hammer grip. My goal is for 10 of each. That goal will likely take a LONG while to achieve, but as long as I keep at it I will EVENTUALLY get there.

The second thing I purchased were two 10 pound dumbbells. I got these so I could do an exercise called a 'burpee'. I don't know why it is called that, it is an evil exercise but very effective at working the entire core. Here is how to do this.

1. Start with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Squat down.
3. Push legs out to push up position.
4. Do a push up.
5. Raise right hand with dumbbell to right side of ribs.
6. Raise left hand with dumbbell to left side of ribs.
7. Jump feet inward towards hands.
8. Jump straight up as high as you can with feet off the ground, hands over head with weights in hand.

The above is ONE repetition. Do as many of these as you can in fifteen minutes and then you are done with your workout for the day. Don't go too heavy with the weight at first, try to get the repetitions first.

To be 100% honest, I can only get five of these when I follow my pull ups. So I know I have to work on getting more reps.

For a variation, you could increase the weight a lot and leave the dumbbells on the floor and only use the weights when lifting to the ribs.

HCG Is Going Strong

Just wanted to share with all that the HCG Platinum I got from Hi Health is working great. I've lost 15.4 pounds in only seven days and I feel great!

The primary difference between this HCG and the homeopathic drops I did last time is that the platinum has added some important amino acids that help you metabolize fat and build muscle. This is important because on these drops you are encouraged to exercise, the exact opposite of the previous HCG instructions.

The extent of my workouts has been limited to walking only. I won't sugar coat it, not even stevia coat it, I am walking A LOT. I am trying to get in a minimum of 3 miles a day. So far this morning I walked 1.2 miles before breakfast, then 1.43 miles after lunch and will walk another 2.5 miles tonight.

On average I have lost 2 pounds a day doing this. Life is good! My goal was to lose 15 pounds and I crushed that in a week. Now I am resetting my goal and going for 20-25 pounds.

I have some challenges ahead of me. First is PowerShell training night this Wednesday. They serve pizza. I want it bad too...I have not yet decided if I should indulge and just be sure to walk a ton or if I will try to figure out what I could eat cold and bring it with me. The latter is not very appealing. next big challenge is Saturday, that is fight night. I think it should be easy enough though to just order a salad to get by on that one. Final challenge I know of is the 11th where there will be a work lunch that I need to participate in.

RECIPE: Quick Asparagus

Ingredients
1 Bunch Asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
Balsamic Vinegar

Directions
Place asparagus in a microwave safe disk. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Drizzle with vinegar.

Makes two servings.

Back on HCG

This past weekend I decided to go back on HCG, I've been walking a lot and figured the extra boost to my weight loss would be helpful.

This time around I am using HCG Platinum which is available from Hi Health for around $30.

Now that I am up on Facebook I've been posting my updates there. Still doesn't hurt to spread the good news around to the blog too. So here are my past two days results/

1/26/2011 HCG Update: Weight: 210.0, Blood Pressure: 130/58, Blood Glucose: 104. Down 6.6 pounds today, that is a little misleading since before carb loading I started at 212 lbs. By my count I am right on track with a pound a day of loss.


1/25/2011 HCG Update: Weight: 216.6, Blood Pressure: 123/63, Blood Glucose: 117 Down a pound today.

The walking helps!

Have to figure out how to update that progress meter again. Good news though is that since walking this week I am dropping the weight again.

Lucky for me I enjoy the walking so I just need to get to my target before the high heat hits AZ and I will be forced to slack off a bit.

Really enjoying my cardio trainer software on my Android phone. It lets me publish my walking to FaceBook, unfortunately it doesn't link in with DailyMile or Twitter. So I have to enter some walking in there to get that widget updated.

Social Media is great, if only it was ALL linked together.

Long time no Blog

Wow, it has been ages since I posted anything. I'm disappointed to post that I gained back nearly all of the weight I had lost.

Recently had a visit with my doctor as a 3 month follow up for my diabetes. We discussed my diet and he had a few suggestions for me.

1. Get more fiber
2. Eat 3-4 servings of fruit each day

I recently read "The Diabetes Detour Diet" which discussed the need for the following to avoid diabetes and help the body naturally lose weight.

1. Vitamin D. Get at least 10 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen on your face and arms each day.
2. Calcium, from supplements or diet, you need this.
3. Fiber, supplements or my Dr recommended a portion of oatmeal each day
4. Vitamin C, my doctor recommended 1500mg a day. I was only taking 500.
   

As the new year approaches I am already trying to form better habits once again. It has been a few weeks now and I am walking with my wife in the morning 3 days a week for 1 mile. The pace is a bit faster than I would like but it is good to be doing something with her.

Once a week the whole family goes out to Telegraph Pass in Ahwatukee and we hike up the mountain and back for a total of 3 miles.

This evening my friend Eric and I are going to meet up and walk our dogs together. Hoping his dog will be friendly with mine so we can hopefully make a daily habit of it. Doing so will add an additional 2.5 miles to my walking each day.

I've been using twitter more these days and also signed up for DailyMile, just added my mileage counter to the blog. Follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/MarkDMacLachlan.

Nothing to Report

Greetings blog readers. Sorry it has been so long since I posted anything. Frankly there just isn't anything to report.

I think I rushed into this latest round of HCG too quickly as it would appear my body has hit immunity and I don't seem to be losing any weight. I'm eating right but the pounds don't seem to be dropping off like before.

I'm going to go off of the HCG soon and try to keep with the calorie restrictions for as long as I can stand it and combine that with heavy exercise. Currently the only exercise I am getting is walking about a mile a day at work. I really need to focus on that once I go off of the HCG again.