How I Did It

March 8th, 2009 No Comments

A friend of mine asked me to share my diet and exercise plan that helped me to “lose weight”. What follows are the tools, resources, dietary, and exercise principles that helped me to accomplish my health and fitness goals.

Number One: Your Why

You need to figure out your why. What is the motivating force behind why you want to do this. It has to be so compelling that you won’t give up like all the other times that you’ve tried to do this. My why is my family. I want to live longer so I can have more time with them.

Overarching Goals

First of all, my journey is not about losing weight. Excess weight and obesity are simply visible results of an unhealthy cycle of overeating and a sedentary lifestyle. When I started my journey, I wanted to not just lose weight, but also shed excess fat as well as be physically fit. These goals cannot be achieved by diet alone. I believe diet without exercise is simply a waste of time.

Tools

  1. Suunto t3c heart rate monitor
    * Tracks calorie burn during exercise
    * Helps monitor heart rate during exercise
    * More practical than Polar heart rate monitors because the batteries are self-replaceable
  2. MyFoodDiary.com
    * Food database
    * Calorie counter
    * Assists you in determining how many calories you can eat with a given amount of exercise
    * See my review of this great tool
  3. Gym membership
    * LA Fitness
    * 24HR Fitness
  4. Personal Trainer
    * Personal training membership at LA Fitness is a monthly financial commitment for one year
    * Personal training at 24HR Fitness is purchased in groups of sessions, no monthly commitment
    * Costco and costco.com sell a 2-year 24HR Fitness membership at a great price, equals about $12/month

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Ripped

January 14th, 2009 No Comments

By now everyone knows Lance Armstrong is attempting a comeback to professional cycling. At 37 years old, of course, the odds are against him. But he’s an inspiration to many, and probably to many older folks like myself. At age 42, a mere five years older than Lance, I strive to work just as hard on my fitness. If he can get that ripped, then so can I.

First 5k

November 10th, 2008 No Comments

Yesterday’s Shelter Island 5k was most definitely a very cool event.

Big time amenities:

  • Flat course – thank you, I appreciate that!
  • Free champagne brunch for the participants
  • Cool t-shirt

Not so fun:
Only one downer — the weather was a little on the cool side, not so cold that it was uncomfortable while running, but mainly after the run when my sweat was drying really fast and cooling my body temperature.

Kathy Loper typically hosts some great events, and this was no exception. With adaptive therapies for injured soldiers as the cause, my wife, son and I were pleased to participate in this event with our entry fees benefiting such a worthy cause.

Results: (Also, check out my runningahead.com results summary.)

  • Official time = 21:56
  • Unofficial time = 21:54
  • Age Group (40-44): 12/46
  • Overall: 73/920

I’m pleased with my results considering it’s my first race ever, and after only four weeks of running. I entered the race with three goals:

  1. Beat Trainer Murray
  2. Finish in under 22 minutes
  3. Beat my fastest time

I accomplished two of the three, but did not beat my previous fastest 5K practice time of 21:42.

Running my first 5k

Running my first 5k

I am amazed at how fast people can run, even in their old age. There were some 50+ year olds who had faster times than me and faster than people much younger. The winner was 36 years old with a time of 16:02. The first three finishers in my age group finished around 19 minutes. My son was saying that running speed at this level is almost independent of age, and with people in their 30s through 50s running at these times, I have to agree with him.

What I learned:

  1. Save some gas for the end.
    I definitely came out of the gates way too fast. My one-mile time was around 6:40. Strangely, it didn’t feel like I was running that fast. By 1.5 miles, I met my milestone marker of being under 9 minutes, but by the last half-mile of the race, I was tired. I tried sprinting for the last half-mile, but my legs and lungs rebelled. I did, however, sprint the last quarter-mile, but by then it was too late to beat my previous best time.
  2. Stick with a routine with eating.
    I really liked how I did not drastically alter my pre-race breakfast: cereal with non-fat milk, fruit, and coffee (grande, iced skinny vanilla latte from Sbux). The only new item I added to my pre-race diet was a free drink mix sample I received called CytoMax (Cool Citrus flavor).
  3. Be sure to get to bed early the night before.
    I went to bed at 10 PM. I probably could have gone to bed at 9 instead. Because I was excited about the race, I didn’t sleep very well. I might consider taking some Melatonin next time to help me sleep.
  4. Enjoy the improvements and gains made while training.
    Hard work pays off. And while I may not have reached all my goals, I am content with my progress in learning this new sport.

Review: MyFoodDiary.com – Features

November 8th, 2008 2 Comments

Background:
Back in March 2008, I had been in a weight-loss plateau for three months, weighing in at 193 pounds and having a body fat percentage of 15%. Despite my intense exercise routine, I was not able to lose the desired remaining weight consistently; however, my body fat percentage was also decreasing slowly. I suspected that I had been eating too many calories for weight loss, and was simply maintaining my weight. I knew that if I wanted to go below 10% body fat, I could lose about 20 more pounds.

Results Summary:
I started using MyFoodDiary.com (MFD) on March 31, 2008 and reached my goal of 175 pounds and under 10% body fat on August 6, 2008.

What is it?:
MyFoodDiary.com is a web-based calorie counter and exercise log designed to be used as part of a weight management program. Most users of this online service use it to assist with weight loss. The site tracks calorie intake (diet) and calorie expenditure (exercise). Then based on the user’s physical statistics and goals, it calculates how many calories must be consumed and/or burned to either lose one to two pounds per week, maintain weight, or gain weight. Users can monitor on a daily basis two factors involved in weight management: food intake vs exercise. MyFoodDiary.com supports the basic weight loss premise that one must consume less calories than the calories expended. For example, in order to lose one pound per week, one should create a calorie deficit of 500 calories/day. Over the course of seven days, the deficit would be 3,500 calories, which is approximately equal to one pound of weight loss. You can watch a video overview here.

Target audience (Who is it for?):
MyFoodDiary.com is best suited for the disciplined person. Ideal users are those who are willing to record what they eat on a daily basis (using the site’s online database of over 50,000 food items), record nutritional information for the foods not in the database, and record calories burned through activity and exercise. Users should be goal-oriented, motivated, determined, and persistent. The service is best applied by those who want to change to a healthy, active lifestyle. I would not recommend this service to people looking for a quick fix to their weight problems or those who just want to change their diet without exercise because losing weight in a healthy way is not just about food or “starving yourself”. Additionally, I believe the service works best in conjunction with the use of a heart rate monitor during exercise to monitor the exact number of calories burned.

Overview of how it works:

  1. Set goals.
  2. Record food intake daily.
  3. Record exercise activities daily.
  4. Generate daily summary and/or reports on personal progress.
  5. Adjust food intake and/or exercise activity levels to reach goals.

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Under no delusions

October 27th, 2008 No Comments

I know I’m just a novice runner, and maybe I shouldn’t be talking about medals in my very first race. Maybe I should lean more to the side of realism, and just remove any ideas of getting a medal from my head. But I’ve ALWAYS been like that for as far back as I can remember. I learned it from my mom. If there’s an activity to be done or something to know, she always said, “Why not be the best?” or “Why not do your best?”. So I say, “If I’m going to race, why not race to win?”

Yes, I’m aware that my chances are slim. But I don’t intend to go into this race resigned to the fact that I will lose. I know the likelihood of getting one of the top three medals in the upcoming race is very low. nLast year’s winning results for my age division, ages 40-44 were as follows: 1st place = 18:30 (44 years old), 2nd place = 19:03 (44 years old), and 3rd place = 19:08 (43 years old). My latest time seems light years away with a difference of 3 minutes. No, I don’t think it’s humanly possible to shave three minutes
off my time by November 9th.

But that is not going to stop me from trying. Because in the course of trying, I make great strides and improvements. Example: When I first ran the 5K distance, my time was in the 28-minute range. I’ve now run this distance a total of five times, including today’s run. My time today was 22:44, a difference of about 6 minutes.

Belief is the heartbeat of success, the core to my success.

Well it took 42 years

October 25th, 2008 No Comments

Other than a couple of weeks ago on NBC TV’s The Biggest Loser, I had never seen a really fat person do pull-ups. It’s so unlikely isn’t it? I mean how does someone who weighs in excess of 280 pounds with gravity acting on that mass pull themselves up over a bar? I know for a fact that it’s difficult to do.

Do you remember those physical fitness tests you had to take in middle school P.E.? Never mind about the trauma of undressing in front of people in the locker room. Maybe you were the type that looked forward to physical fitness testing: the sit-ups, the push-ups, the mile run, and yes, the dreaded pull-ups. Were you the one that could do 15 pull-ups, and keep going and going like the Energizer bunny? Were you able to do 80 sit-ups in three minutes and 100 pushups in the same amount of time? I remember being envious of those athletic people in gym class.

As for me, I was the short, fat kid who couldn’t do anything, maybe 5 push-ups and 18 sit-ups on a good day. The most humiliating thing was to go to the pull-up bar, knowing that it would take a huge effort just to get my hands on the bar, and then not be able to do a single pull-up. Pretty much it was only the girls and the fat kids who couldn’t do pull-ups at that age. Just one of the few reasons I hated P.E…

I just can’t believe what happened today at the gym during my workout.

I was getting ready to do a “negative” pull-up. That’s when you jump up to the highest position you can just below the top of the pull-up bar, and let yourself down as slow as you can. These “negative” exercises are designed to build up the strength to perform difficult exercises. My trainer says that negative pull-ups help you to get better at performing the bench press, and obviously, better at doing pull-ups. I’ve been doing this negative pull-up exercise for about two weeks now, maybe only three times total.

So I get my hands on the bars, and was just about to hang, when I sensed additional strength in me. And then I actually pulled my head over the top of the bar!

Un-be-lievable! I actually did a pull-up, and not just one pull-up, but a total of 16. My five sets of pull-ups were: 5, 3, 2, 3, and 3. Wow. These pull-ups were 42 years in the making. I’m totally stoked.

o dark-thirty

October 17th, 2008 No Comments

I love summer. For as far back as I can remember. Long days of swimming at the pool with friends. Being out all day. The sun staying out until 9:00 pm sometimes. Playing tennis until you can’t see the ball anymore. Those are the joys of summer and daylight savings time.

Then there’s the depressing fall (which happens to be my wife’s favorite season). It’s dark in the morning when you leave for work, and it’s either getting dark or dark when you arrive home. Just plain depressing.

Since I plan to ride my bike only once a week now and replace my cardio activities with training for runs, there is little light left during the afternoon after work to get in a good run. Some good things about running on the Naval base are that:

  • Sailors run on the streets of the base all the time
  • Speed limits are strictly enforced
  • There is very little traffic
  • The base is closed, and pretty much safe from strange people
  • There are plenty of places to run on a flat surface

So this morning, I implemented my darkness contingency running plan: every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I intend to run at least 3.1 miles on the base in the morning before work. Today I arrived on base a little after 6:00 AM. The sun had still not come up. After getting situated at my desk and going to the bathroom, I stretched out my hamstrings, quads, groin, and hip flexors (next time I have to remember to stretch my lower back and calves). Just put my military id in my pocket and headed out the door!

It felt great. Very miniscule tightness in my lower back and hamstrings, no tightness in my glutes. I’d say the discomfort was about 1 to 2 %. I attribute the improvement to the 15 minutes of stretching at the gym last night using the stretch machines. I liked running with, ummmm, say about 99% of my range of motion. What a difference.

In approximately the same distance as my previous run, I did 3.14 miles in 25:32, which is an 8:08 pace. I’m stoked to shave off almost three minutes from my last run. I think I’ll be ready for my first 5K in early November. Heck, when you look at some of the winning times in my age group at around 19 minutes, I could be in serious contention for a winning medal by then. Now that would be amazing.

My running appreciation just went up. I’d say that I moved a couple of notches above hating to run to actually just below liking it. The best thing about it so far: I can actually envision myself getting better at it.

First Run

October 13th, 2008 No Comments

Now that I’m done with the TDP, I’ve set my sights on a new goal: to learn how to run. I’m targeting two events to gauge my progress:

  1. Shelter Island 5K – November 9, 2008
  2. San Dieguito Half Marathon – February 8, 2009

So I went on my first training run yesterday. I really hate running. Anyone want to explain to me why I’m doing it and training for two running events? Oh well. I need to have a new fitness goal, and I know I’m up to facing the new mental and physical challenges. My wife and son say that I’m the most disciplined person they know, an inspiration. I dunno about that, but I’ll take it.

I left the house, turned on my HRM and foot pod (both by Suunto). The goal was locked in: down to the corner where LA | FITNESS is and back. One way was about 2.5 miles. Ambitious? Maybe. Crazy for a first run? Probably. Doable? Most definitely. I figured that since I just finished riding 100 miles on a bike last week that my body could handle a measly 5-mile run.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. Breathing was good. Stamina was good. Legs were good. I was pleased with my times as well. I finished the first 2.57-mile lap in 21 minutes with an average speed of 7.3 mph, and then took a five-minute break before heading back home. For the way back, it took me 23 minutes with an average speed of 6.7 mph. The last time I ran this type of distance, it took my 45 minutes to complete 3.5 miles, so this is a big improvement.

To remain positive about this endeavor, here are three things I liked about the run:

  1. My shoes were comfortable.
  2. My times were faster than before.
  3. I didn’t have any problems with breathing or being out of breath.

When I was cooling down, unfortunately, I did not wipe down any of my sweat, so I think I cooled down too fast. As a result, I caught a small cold. It seems to be better today. Another thing I noticed after the cool down was that my glute muscles seemed sore, and my hip bones in the back seemed to throb. I need to
make it a point to wipe down my sweat, and keep warm, especially since the fall weather is starting to arrive here in the San Diego area. So it’s noticeably much much cooler.

This morning I feel good. Cold and sniffles seem to be manageable, so I’m going to head off to the gym for a leg/lower body workout.

From Fat to Freedom

October 11th, 2008 No Comments

***** Adapted from “About Me” originally posted on October 11, 2008 in the IntoFitness section of whatsbruin.net *****

In the summer of 2007 I decided to step on a scale just for the heck of it. The number I saw shocked me out of my sedentary life of obesity that was leading me down the road of cardiovascular disease and an early death. On August 30, 2007 I purchased a personal training membership at LA|FITNESS and have never looked back.

About 14 months into fitness

About 14 months into fitness

Before - circa June 2006

Before - circa June 2006

My name is Gerry, and I have been overweight most of my life, except for maybe 16 years (ages 0-6, 14-24). Those years were when I was a young child and when I was a competitive tennis player. But even during those lean years, food and overeating, as well as a yo-yo pattern of gaining and losing weight, were the physical issues that plagued me for as far back as I can remember.

At the age of 34 in May of 2000, I was denied a lower premium on my life insurance policy so I decided to get a physical to find out why. The routine physical showed no sign of disease; however, the blood work forecasted a grim future:

  • Glucose = 92 {normal 70-110}
  • Triglycerides = 1084 {normal < 200}
  • Cholesterol = 257 {normal 100-200}
  • HDL = 21 {normal = 35-60}
  • Other cholesterol ratios were too high to be calculated.

My doctor said:

Gerry, if you don’t make a change in your life, you will contract Type II diabetes, and will most likely have to be on high blood pressure medication for the rest of your life. This will lead to cardiovascular disease and wide array of medications. You will die of either a heart attack, stroke, or complications from diabetes.

The fear of that conversation produced a change in my diet and exercise for about a month. My subsequent blood work improved over the next five months. But eventually the fear wore off, and I went back to my old habits of overeating and not being active. My doctor suggested follow up blood work and regular physicals, and had scheduled another round of blood tests for me, but after seven years, I still had not gone back for those tests or physicals.

Before - circa July 2007

Before - circa July 2007

In July of 2007 at the age of 41, my father-in-law underwent heart surgery. While we were visiting him in the hospital I noticed that the other cardiac patients were of varying ages. One in particular was in his 30s and extremely obese. Upon my return from that visit, I vowed never to end up in the cardiac ward. I was tired of that nagging pain in my knees as I walked up the stairs. I was weary of the pain in my ankles as I walked the short distance from my bed to the bathroom every morning.

So that’s when I decided to weigh myself.

My stats that summer were:

  • Weight = 250+ pounds
  • BMI = 37
  • Body fat = 33.4%
  • Waist = 44 inches
  • Pants = size 44 (tight)

The brand new LA|FITNESS gym in my neighborhood was having its Grand Opening event. I wanted to get a free t-shirt, which was the only reason I planned on going on August 30, 2007. But during the evening ofAugust 29th, I had a very vivid dream that I was working with a personal trainer, and I was really fit and buff. I took the dream to be an omen, and the next day I listened to a sales pitch about the benefits of personal training. I bought a membership because I knew I needed to lose almost 80 pounds… and yes, I did get my free XL t-shirt, which barely fit.

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Le Tour de Poway 2008

October 11th, 2008 1 Comment

Only five months of actual time in the saddle, not including the time in the gym’s spin class – not a real bike.

Four months of training with Trek.

One year of lifting weights and dropping almost 80 pounds.

All leading up to one day on October 5, 2008, the Tour de Poway.

6 hours of unbearable agony, LOL.

100 miles all over North County San Diego.

I don’t even remember falling fully asleep the night before. I must have been too excited and wound up for the race. So who knows how many hours of sleep I actually got. Note to self: next year, take some Melatonin to help relax and get drowsy.

Woke up at about 4:00 AM to eat my usual:

  • 2 cups Honey Bunches of Oats with almonds, 5 ounces of water, 4 ounces of fat-free milk
  • 2 packets of Quaker Oats instant oatmeal
  • 2 scoops of BSN True Mass protein drink with 10 ounces of fat-free milk

With my bike and other gear already in the car, all that remained to prepare were my bottles and race food:

  • 24-ounce mixture of water and 2 scoops of Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem (2 bottles)
  • 24-ounce mixture of water and 2 scoops of Hammer Nutrition HEED (1 bottle)
  • 24 ounces of water
  • 6 Clif bars (planned to eat 4 of them)
  • Extra 2 scoops of Perpetuem
  • Extra 2 scoops of HEED
Early morning last-minute stretching

Early morning last-minute stretching

My “team” (wife and son) and I arrived at the staging area at Aubrey and Midland Road at 6:00 AM. After we parked, I attached my front tire, and then checked the air pressure on both tires, filling them up to 120 psi. Did some stretches, and then a little check ride in the parking lot. At 6:45 AM, I brought my bike to the start line and waited with about 2000 other cyclists for the official start to the race.

At 7:00 AM we were off. I almost fell off my bike because we were going so slow at the start while some idiot in front of me stopped in front of me to wait for a friend. After I brushed that off, I headed out with the massive peloton down Midland Road towards our first left turn onto Poway Road. Our first challenge, to negotiate the climb up Highway 67 to Ramona.

Waiting to start

Waiting to start

I finished that one and only large climb in the first half hour of the race. My first thought at the top was: “Is that it?” I had done much tougher climbs with the Trek group. Thank goodness for that.

For the next several miles, I rode on the wheel of the bike in front of me, drafting at speeds of 28-31 mph pretty effortlessly.

Around mile 40 as I left the second aid station, my right knee started acting up with a previous injury. The tendon on the right side of my knee cap really started to hurt, especially on the downstroke of my pedaling when my right leg was at its straightest. So I had that goin’ for me, yippee, a nagging pain in my right knee with 60 miles to go.

By mile 60, my energy level was a little low. I decided not to mix my extra HEED electrolyte powder. I figured since the weather was a little cool I didn’t need the drink. I wanted to “save” my calories for the carne asada burrito I was planning to eat in celebration after the race. Note to self: next time, even if the weather is cool, mix the electrolyte drink anyways. If you’re riding for six hours, you will sweat a lot, even in cooler weather.

During the last 10 miles in excruciating pain

During the last 10 miles in excruciating pain

With fatigue setting in, I had slowed my pace considerably to an average of about 15-17 mph, and I was unable to sprint fast enough to catch the wheel of riders in front of me to catch a draft. So I was pretty much on my own for the last 40 miles. I wasn’t sure if I was going to meet my goal of finishing under six hours.

With 10 miles remaining at mile 90, I began to cramp in my right quad. It was excruciating; I immediately regretted not mixing that electrolyte drink. At about the 5 hour 20 minute mark, I realized that I need to pick up the pace and go about 18-20 mph if I wanted to finish in under 6 hours. But that nagging right knee and now muscle cramps were hindering me greatly. The pain when I straightened my leg at stop lights was unbearable. Luckily, I didn’t hit that many more lights as I made the final stretch down Ted Williams Parkway to Pomerado Road. And when it came to stop signs, I simply just rode right through them so I wouldn’t have to stop and straighten my right leg. Fully ignoring the pain, I mentally charged forward and increased my speed.

When I made my final right turn on Aubrey, I could see Maria and Tony a little beyond the finish line. I sprinted for it, took my hands off the handlebars, and raised both arms as I crossed the line at 5:56. Yes! I met my goal.

All in all, this was a great experience, and by far, my greatest physical accomplishment in my life so far since I lost weight and got into shape. I can’t wait to do it again next year.