Meal Plan: Week 6

Michael's nutrition continues to be a big contributor toward the results he is still seeing. As you see in his previous post, he lost another 8.5 lbs in the last 2 weeks! So, he's lost almost 30 lbs. in 6 weeks. It's really incredible! As mentioned before, the nutritional part of the program can often be at least 50% of the formula in seeing good initial, and in particular, lasting results. Michael has already done what most people struggle with the most, and that's to fully change his nutritional habits. We started by teaching him the right concepts, helping him make some simple changes and setting small goals week to week. Taking this step by step approach really helps to reinforce the changes as habit, as well as helping to prevent the usually overwhelming feeling that more drastic measures create. He put so much focus and dedication into following all of our recommendations, that we were able to help him continue to make more changes and set more and more new goals every single week. At this point, the changes he has made are becoming more and more of a true lifestyle change, and that is where I believe Michael's greatest "transformation" has occured so far. If you saw where Michael's diet was at before he started, to where it is now, you would truly understand how amazing the change is. It's a complete 180. So, while all of the weight loss, inches lost, and body fat lost is fantastic so far, the improvements he has made nutritionally and the knowledge he has gained will also improve his health and will carry with him for life - not to mention how it will continue to help him burn off body fat at a steady rate!

27 Down 140 to go

6 week weigh in – another 8 lbs lost! YES! Almost 30 pounds in 6 weeks! The next two weeks I will be working really hard to do well because the training staff will be doing a full body measurements and fitness assessments to evaluate my progress of the first 2 months. Also, my doctor is pleased (imagine that), and although having thoughts of increasing my medication for blood sugar and cholesterol, is going to keep them at current levels for now as long as I am losing weight, and will do some retesting in a couple weeks. So, no new meds for now!

My transformation thought of the week:
Crunch (krunch)
BEFORE – to chew with a noisy crackling sound on potato chips, snack crackers, caramel nut popcorn, pecans, and the occasional celery stick smeared with pimento cheese.

AFTER – A modified sit-up having a smaller range of motion that reduces back strain and strengthens the abdominal muscles making me produce weird loud grunting noises and produces exhausted.

Watch for a fun and exciting video blog coming later this week!

Thank you everyone for your support and comments. It means more to me than words can express to know I have people that care about my health.

Trainer Notes: Week 6

Michael had a great week. Although last week felt like week one all over again with the exercise progressions in the resistance training workouts; he has begun to adapt quickly to the changes in his program. The first four weeks of his workouts we focused on anatomical adaptation. We helped him connect with the muscle groups we were going to be working. Laying out the foundation during the first four weeks has helped him adapt quicker to the progressions put in place for the next four weeks. We want him to be able to push harder and begin to reach "momentary muscle failure" in the last set of each exercise. I know this can sound scary, but it simply means that he uses a resistance heavy enough that he can only lift it the recommended repatitions on the last set. He has already been able to do this while maintaining proper form with some of the exercises this week. He has also been able to push harder with the cardiovascular workouts.

Michael Video Blog: Week Five

Meal Plan: Week Five

This past week we only needed to make minor adjustments, and we discussed some additional concepts to aid in maintaining the changes Michael, and his wife Audrey have made as true lifestyle changes. Audrey, by the way, has also lost 15 pounds this past month changing her nutritional habits in support of Michael. On a side note, it's hard to even express how beneficial it is to have a support system at home - a friend, family member, or coworker to provide encouragement and maybe even do it at the same time.

We worked on eating Breakfast a little sooner in the day, ideally within the first half hour to hour after waking up, as it will kickstart the metabolism for the day sooner. We also worked on eating Dinner a little sooner, so it is not as close to bedtime. As our bodies are winding down for the day, they don't need the same amount of calories to operate, so eating too much, close to bedtime will potentially be giving us calories we don't need or won't have the opportunity to burn off. We also worked on what we like to call "conscious eating." This simply means paying closer attention to the actual process of eating when we sit down for meals. Social distractions (lots of conversation, watching television, etc.) tend to make us eat faster and in larger quantities because we are not really aware of what, or how much, we are shoveling into our mouths. By slowing down, thinking about how much food we have in front of us, and paying more attention to each bite, we can tap more into our bodies instinctive need for food. So, when we don't need anymore, which is before the point of actually "feeling" full, we can put that fork down and say, that's enough for now - I don't "need" anymore. Try this at dinner for one week - the difference in quanitity and choices may be surprising.

Trainer Notes: Week Five

It's the end of week 5 and the end of the first week on Michael's new workout program. Everything continues to go very well. Some new exercises and progressions were thrown at him this week, many of them challenging his balance and core strength, along with some that push him to higher intensities. As Michael put it, it felt like week one all over again...but, his body continues to get stronger, and his conditioning level has dramatically improved - he can really go after it in his cardio sessions now! We're all still very impressed with his commitment to this program, and excited to keep seeing the changes that are happening right in front of our eyes. We remeasured today, 4 weeks from our last measurements, and in the first month Michael has lost:

20 pounds
3% Body Fat
18 Total Inches!!! - this includes 5 inches lost around his waist and 8 inches lost around his hips!!

Great stuff and Excellent job, Michael! Keep up the great work!

Video Blog: Week Four

Meal Plan: Week Four

Well, nothing groundbreaking to report on the nutrition front. In this case, that can be a good thing, though, as it means consistency. Michael's nutrition has been looking great, and his focus and dedication to it since he started is really paying off. When we started, he told us how intense many of his food cravings were. By eating portion controlled, well balanced meals frequently enough, those cravings have almost enitrely disappeared. In particular, he no longer craves sugar, which is a great accomplishment by itself. Generally, when people focus on eating better, especially in an effort to lose weight, the focus often gets put mainly on cutting out fat, or staying very low fat. While cutting out the wrong fats is critical, and maintaining an overall low fat diet is important to lose weight and keep it off, limiting sugar intake is just as, if not more important. This is because, while sugar doesn't contain fat, it is entirely empty calories (no nutritional value) that trigger hormones inside your body to store more of the calories you do eat as fat. In other words, the fat content in food alone does not make us fat, the foods we eat and the way we eat them trigger and release hormones that "train" our body to store more calories as fat - even if some of those calories are from "healthy" foods. In addition, processed foods and white flour cause much of the same effect. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to cut out as much refined and processed sugars as possible. The sugars you do get should come from natural sources, like fruit. Be very careful even with fruit juices, as many of them are loaded with additional sugars, or have a much higher sugar content than whole fruit.

By eating the way he has, Michael has been "retraining" his body to use the food (calories) he is eating as fuel, instead of wanting to store it. This is rapidly increasing his metabolism, which is also allowing him to oxidize (burn off) fat for energy when he is exercising, and allowing him to burn more calories even when he is at rest and recovering from his workouts. All of these improvements have been a big contributor in allowing Michael to lose 20 lbs. so far!! The results he is seeing already just wouldn't be as good as they have been if he didn't start making improvements to his nutrition early on. It can easily be at least 50% of the weight loss formula, and is a very important of our program here at FT. In fact, we consider it one of our "essentials", and truly feel it's what allows us to get consistently good and "predictable" results with our clients. We have another nutrition session with Michael at the end of this week, where we'll check in again, and see what we can teach him next. Stay tuned, as Monday we will post the full updates on Michael's weight and measurement losses. Exciting stuff!

Woohoo!

4 weeks in, 19 pounds lost, 5 inches at the waist gone.

Thank you Ben, Phil and Brian.

This is just the beginning.

Michael

Trainer Notes: Week Four

It's the end of our first month, and all I can say is, Wow!! It still amazes me what can be accomplished with great commitment, effort, attitude, the right plan, and the right people to support, motivate, and coach you through it. What a difference this first 4 weeks has made for Michael. He is changing and progressing at such a quick rate, I'm not sure people who haven't seen him in a while will even recognize him a few months from now. He is working so hard and has followed through on every single recommendation we've made. In this first month, he has improved his strength and conditioning level tremendously, and has already lost close to 15 lbs. and 4 inches around his waist! We'll do our next "official" weigh in next week, as well as the measurements again for more details on that. Overall, it's amazing how much stronger his legs and core muscles have gotten, and he has actually doubled, that's right - doubled, his upper body strength already from where he started.

So, next week we will start his new workout routine. New programs are all about progression for us. We want to create that variable change in an effective, but safe way to help Michael reach his ultimate goal. Everything we do, every exercise we select for Michael, has a purpose, and is designed to take him to the next step. It's not enough to just throw a bunch of challenging exercises together and make him sweat and burn calories. It takes educated planning and solid rationale to obtain "predictable" results. The better and more safely we "progress" him, the more we can do moving forward. This will mean that exercises can be more advanced and challenging in the future without risk of injury, and the higher the intensity of sets and the overall workout can be. In the next few months Michael will surprise himself by doing things and accomplishing things he may have never thought possible. Now that he's gotten past the initial adaptation and has already starting progressing, we will be going into month 2 with more challenging progressions and exercises. We are also going to decrease his rep range from 15 to 12 so he can handle some of the new exercises better and so we can increase some resistance levels where appropriate to continue to increase strength and build lean muscle. We will be combining the exercises differently as well to challenge his conditiong level more. We're excited to start this next step with Michael, and stay tuned for the updates on his measurements.

Video Blog: Week Three

The Holiday Spread

Hello everyone!
Audrey and I have settled into some good routines for our meal planning, cooking, portion control and food selection. One challenge to portion control was that we had to adjust to is keeping ourselves from overbuying food at the store, especially perishables. So planning and thinking ahead on what meals we are going to cook really helps with that. The next big challenge coming our way is the spread on the table at Easter Sunday.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think I should be able to control my intake, but there is just something culturally imbedded in me that screams “PIG OUT” at holiday meals. Of course, having people who love to cook and eat among all sides of our families probably compounds this phenomenon. I mean, no one makes mashed potatoes and turkey gravy as good as my Aunt Mary. No one. So, come Thanksgiving, must have lots of Aunt Mary’s mashed potatoes and gravy. Then there is my mother’s pineapple sour cream pie, and my mom’s cousin Sandy’s infamous strawberry pretzel cream cheese Jello dessert.

Even the conversations at holiday times turn to favorite dishes we miss made by family members no longer with us. Aunt Juanita’s chicken and noodles are legendary, and I would pay a fortune to taste my Grandma Long’s pea salad or Grandma Crumly’s Waldorf salad again.

In two days, Audrey and I go to her parents for Easter dinner. Boy, can she cook. First, Ann makes this wonderful pineapple peach raisin sauce for the ham. Then there is her ghoulishly delicious macaroni and cheese next to the best stuffing I have ever eaten. I am still hoping one day Ann will let Audrey know how to make her greens. And then, of course, there is Ann’s homemade pound cake with lemon glaze. It is so good; dozens of people have been after her to start a cake business.

So, come Sunday, I realize two or three towering plates of food probably aren’t in my best interest, especially after I met with the doctor yesterday and reviewed my blood sugar and cholesterol test results. However, I am learning how to eat sustainably for life and I do get a “throw away” day once a week as part of my meal plan, so a spoonful of mac and cheese, a spoonful of dressing, and a sliver of pound cake may come my way. After all, holiday time with family is special.

Thanks for your support everyone,

God bless,

Michael

Meal Plan: Week Three

This past week or so was mainly focused on building consistency with everything we've worked on up to this point. As Michael also mentioned in his video blog, he's been working on buying products with higher quality ingredients. Again, just because a product's label makes it sound great and healthy, doesn't mean that it is. As Michael mentioned, plenty of healthy sounding wheat breads are actually made from "enriched" flour, which essentially means processed, and can be just as bad as white flour. Any of these will wreak havoc inside your body, triggering your hormones to store more fat. Michael's done a nice job working on this, and the difference we see in his journal with better protein and carbohydrate selections is outstanding in comparison to where he started. Michael was already very good with his water intake and limiting high calorie, high sugar liquids, but we have him tracking this as well. He is drinking water with every meal and snack time, as well as throughout his workouts. Overall, Michael had another very good week. Even his "cheat meal" was pretty good: A cheeseburger made with 90% lean ground beef, on a whole grain bun, with ketchup, pickles, onion, and homemade baked french fries as his side - oh, and water to drink. Since he's been doing so well, I thought I'd share some examples of good meals in a day of Michael's nutrition, taken directly from his Food Log:
Breakfast - 1 cup 1% cottage cheese, 3/4 cup fresh pineapple, and 1 slice of whole grain bread. Water.

Snack 1 - Shaklee "Cinch" shake. Water

Post Workout - Shaklee "Physique" (an excellent post-workout recovery shake with high quality protein and carbs).

Lunch - Stew made of chicken breasts, cannelli beans, tomatoes, onions, and celery, 1 slice of whole grain bread. Water.

Snack 2 - Shaklee Cinch Meal Bar. Water.

Dinner - Talapia in skillet w/olive oil, brown rice risotto, arugala w/dijon/lemon juice/olive oil. Water.

Hopefully, everyone can see again that you don't need to starve yourself to lose weight. In fact, by eating like he has in this journal example, Michael is already significantly losing weight, inches, and bodyfat. Michael and his wife are excellent cooks, which has helped them still create good variety while staying healthy at the same time. It definitely has required planning, and better discipline in choosing good foods and portion control, but in no way does it leave Michael "deprived" of anything. Plus, the significant increase in his activity level does require enough of the "right" calories to fuel and support it properly in order for it to be effective. All in all, another great week. Keep up the good work!

Trainer Notes: Week Three

Well, week 3 was all about blood, sweat, and tears. Alright, maybe just the sweat, but the rest sure makes it sound "tougher."

It was a week focused more on intensity, however. As mentioned previously, the first week or two are much more focused on adaptation and increasing the volume of the workouts. This was the first week where we were able to increase the intensity more during each workout. Exercise technique was fine tuned and tweaked even more and resistances increased on almost every exercise again. While Michael definitely felt the cumulative fatigue setting in from the week by Friday, he also showed the amazing resilience and adaptive ability that our bodies have. He's already doing things now that would not have been possible for him even a couple weeks ago. As crazy it will seem to him, though, next week will be the last week on his current workout program. Adaptations start to occur a little quicker now, and to avoid any plateaus along the way, we need to stay ahead of the curve. This will mean progressing and changing key workout variable like reps, sets, resistance levels and types, tempos, rest periods, and many more to ensure that the body is always trying to meet the challenge of a new stimulus. It will also help Michael from getting bored and worn out from the same exercises and routine over and over again.

We also had our first 2 week "weigh-in" at the beginning of the week, and after 2 weeks, Michael had lost 9 lbs.!! Great job, Michael! As we've already discussed with Michael, the scale weight actually isn't his or our ultimate barometer for his success in this program. Yes, it is important for him to get his weight into a healthy range, but it will come along with our focus on some other very important factors. Our main focus right now is to actually decrease his body fat percentage, which tells us the balance of lean weight and fat weight he has. The other is to decrease his overall inches, but this will also come along with decreasing his body fat percentage, as well helping him maintain good strength and muscular tone as the fat burns off. Right now, we want Michael to maintain or build upon his lean mass for its contributions to calorie expenditure and increased metabolism, and then focus solely on decreasing the fat weight. This will be a lot healthier for him in the end and also make it easier for him to maintain the weight loss long term. So, while the 9 lbs. he has lost already is great, it may be even more in fat weight if he has gained some lean weight. In a couple more weeks we'll do another weigh-in, but will also re-measure his body fat percentage, which will be even more exciting to see how much true fat weight he has lost.

Video Blog: Week Two

Meal Plan: Week Two

For this past week, we worked on just slightly expanding upon last week's concepts. It can often take more than one week to really develop good consistency with 'Basic Balance' and proper meal frequency. Therefore, we still kept this as an important focus, but also introduced a new helpful tool in beginning to manage hunger and portion control. For most of us, our many responsibilities and hectic schedules make it difficult for us to really get in touch with or pay attention to our actual biological needs for food. Because of this, we worked on implementing what we like to call a "hunger scale" before and after each meal. By doing this, Michael can start to become more aware of either how hungry he is or how full he gets. The idea is to avoid extremes on the scale by never letting yourself get too famished and not eating until you are stuffed full. This can definitely help portion control, and maintaining balanced meal frequency will help avoid the extremes, but also important is the awareness it creates about how you use and actually need food.

Michael's also still working on meal planning and preparation using the 'Master Food List' we created last week. Finally, in our most recent nutrition session, we discussed and worked on reading food labels properly. Food companies are the ultimate "masters of disguise", as they use eye-catching packaging, and trigger words like "fat free", "heart healthy", "No trans fats", "all natural", "nutritious", "essential vitamins and minerals", "Dr. approved" , and more, to get you to buy their product. Plus, they manipulate things like the serving size to work around FDA guidelines in order to classify there product a certain way. There are too many examples of this to even mention, but the important thing as consumers is to be armed with the right information to read between the lines in order to make the best choices. With Michael, we focused on cutting through the clutter to select the best products based on the right percentages of proteins, carbs and fats in comparison to the total calories per serving, and how to look for the products with the highest quality ingredients. Along with the work we've already done on the Master Food List, these tools will hopefully aid him in making the right choices where it counts first - at the grocery store. The better choices you make up front and bring into your home, the easier it is to avoid tempation, because the bad foods simply aren't there for quick accessibility. I know it's a simple concept, but I also know that most of us often look for complicated solutions to our problems, when we are often overlooking that one simple answer that would stop it from becoming a problem in the first place. Just some 'food' for thought. Next week we will address some additional items, so stay tuned...