Before and After

Best part of the night was easily the shocked reactions Chana got. Some people genuinely didn't recognize her.

NOV-DEC 09

JUNE 26, 2010

115 lbs down and much more to go.

Closing in on the date

About 8 months ago Chana and I posed for this picture at an engagement party. We were at our heaviest and insisted upon making a serious change. We used that wedding as our motivation and wanted nothing more than to leave this chapter behind us.

We made the necessary changes and now, we're 2 weeks away from the date. I took up the cleanse again for one last blitz just before the big day and I'm proud to say that I'm at the 63lb mark. With 8 more days left to cleanse, I think I can make it to 70. Maybe even beyond.

Hopefully there'll be some awesome pictures to post here in 15 days' time.

Out

Peep this!

4/10/10

VS

12/25/09

Feels like we're doing the right thing.

Going Nowhere

I'm not sure what the cause is, but for the past couple of weeks it seems like I haven't made any progress. I'm not sure what's going wrong, or if anything has gone wrong. My weight is hovering at or about the same place as it did at the end of February even though I've been managing my calorie intake and working out on a fairly regular basis.

Sure there are a hundred different explanations for this. I could be building muscle. Hell, I hadn't worked out in ages and with all these new hikes and trips out my body could just be getting healthier. I've noticed.... and this comes with some forewarning that you may not want to read this.... that my digestive system hasn't been the healthiest and that I've dealt with a fair amount of constipation lately. Likely there are even a few explanations that I'm not even considering.

Suffice it to say, I feel like I've just been going nowhere lately, which by itself might be a terrible thing had it not been for Facebook the other day. Let me explain. About 2 days ago, I was uploading pictures of Beans at our latest trip to Eaton Canyon. He was scared of the water as per usual and I had to carry him over a small creek bed. Obviously this made for a great picture and when I uploaded it to FB, I realized that I looked so much better than the last time I saw myself in the outfit I'd chosen for the hike. The last time I saw myself in pictures wearing what I was wearing, I was 45 pounds heavier and pretty depressed. Those weren't good times.

At the end of the day, I'm grateful for the progress I've made. I'm dropping inches, I look better, and I feel better than I have in ages. So I really don't know what I'm complaining about, if that is what I'm doing here. I guess when it all comes down to it, I'm just a man with a goal to hit and though I'm feeling better in general, I'm not getting any closer to that goal. I guess this is why they tell you to measure your progress by inches rather than pounds.

Out.

Half Way

345 puts me at the halfway point.

Chana was gone for the week on business. Missed her obviously, but coming back led us into once of the best weekends we've shared in a very long time.

We started out the dog park at Long Beach and saw UFC 111 at Big Wangs in Downtown. Sunday started with a nice hike into Eaton Canyon and finished with a movie at the Americana in Glendale. The Americana was a really nice place by the way.

Right now, I'm tired. Sorry for this being so dry. Out.

Venice 347

Had a great day with Chana and Beans. We drove down to Venice and walked him up and down the boardwalk. Spent 2 hours in the process and Beans never once growled at a single person.

I hit 347 today. What's funny is, it took me well over a month and change to essentially lose 3 pounds. I guess that's what the cleanse will do to you. I'm hoping that things will finally even out from this point forward. I'd like to manage my calories correctly and thus lose weight just as a regular person should.

Good luck to that.

Limits

After about a month now with the Bodybugg, I've learned more than a few things about how my body works:
On average, I burn anywhere from 3200 calories a day when I do absolutely nothing but lie around the house to about 4000 calories when I run errands, clean the house, etc.

With that, I decided to try and maintain a 2000 calorie diet for myself which is surprisingly easy as long you take the necessary measures in order to aid in your success. We have grilled chicken in our fridge at all times since good protein is often the hardest thing to come by when you want a snack. Beyond that, we keep a healthy amount of fruit stocked, try to keep a good amount of Alternative Pitas, and Tortilla Factory Low Carb tortillas on hand. They're all ways of getting the things you might be craving (ie a burrito) without having to blow your diet in order to do so.

Funny thing is, learning just how much your body burns also raises the question- exactly how did I manage to gain 90 lbs over the course of 3 years? Now I understand that, living in the back house, I wan't the most active guy in the world. That being said, I had a job the kept me on my feet for 12 hours a day. I was going to school and walking a fair amount there. Chana and I were going out all the time, doing this and that. So just how much was I eating? What kind of calorie excesses was I going to? It's just mind boggling now that I start to think about it.


Note: running through some basic numbers last night, Chana and I came to the conclusion that one of my meals at Taco Bell likely ran from 1500 to 2000 calories every single time. So fuck them and anyone who believes those "healthy" Taco Bell diet claims.