Tuesday, August 27, 2013

pills, shakes, replacements. tv ads, and other......."stuff"

first off I apologize that I haven't updated in awhile life has kind of gotten a little carried away and the best of me but I am back and I am going to try my hardest to make it a weekly habit to update and keep people posted on what's going on upstairs knocking between my ears :)

today's topic may not set well with some but bring possibly light to others.
this post isn't to offend and it's 100% my opinion (after all it is MY blog isn't it? LOL) 

heaven knows if there's a weight loss product out there that you can buy either in pill, powder or liquid form that I have probably taken it at one point or another.  the one thing that all and I do mean ALL pills powders and liquids have in common is that if you read the instructions or directions they usually say somewhere in fine print towards the bottom "along with moderate exercise and a well balanced diet".  It's something that is there I can almost 100% guarantee it!!  so after taking many different pills promised to "reduce belly fat" and/or "get me into the best shape of my LIFE" I look at myself in the mirror after a month, two months, three months and notice there isn't really any change than when I first started.  The only thing that's lighter is my bank account.

then i came across a simply BRILLIANT invention called myfitnesspal (referred from here on out simply as MFP). 
this app literally has
CHANGED
MY
LIFE

some people say that it's too much to count calories and log every piece of food you consume into an application.  I say to them "what's worse taking literally 30 seconds to record what you ate or spending three days in the hospital later on in life after a lifetime of bad eating?"  Granted it does take time and work, not too much though, and the best part is it makes you open your eyes to see exactly what you're putting into your body.

with the rates of cancers and other diseases running rapid here has anyone besides me stopped to think that maybe it's because of what we do to our bodies by ingesting that is making ourselves weaker and weaker and more susceptible to these diseases?

I have drastically changed the way that I eat.  Only fresh fruits, veggies, and lean cuts of meats are usually what you'll find on my plate.  I'm not saying that I am 100% perfect and let the person that thinks they are among us be the first to cast a stone because I do go out occasionally and have a beer or two or some wine or a fried food.  I am still a citizen of modern day.  however after I stopped eating the processed food and crap that I had become use to eating I noticed after about one week one big change......I didn't crave those foods anymore....after about a month the thought of going through a drive through repulsed me (and still does to this day)

my body as well as my brain know what are good wholesome foods for me and know what I don't need or want any longer.

alright I strayed a little off topic there but hey I have a lot to say so much that I will probably break this into two sections.

back on track now "along with moderate exercise and a sensible diet"

Moderate exercise=more than what you currently do.  If you're a couch potato then aim to go for one or two walks a week just doing something is better than nothing.  always start small.  A lot of times people say "I'm going to go and run every morning for 5 miles starting tomorrow" that morning comes they go out only run 2 or 3 miles because they aren't trained properly to run 5 miles and they give up! Same thing happens when you change your diet.  I despise the word DIET it's probably the only four letter cuss word in my vocabulary.  however diet when I refer to it means what you're eating day in and day out.  Otherwise it's called a lifestyle.  That's what eating is.  Either you lead a healthy lifestyle (wholesome good for you foods) or an unhealthy lifestyle (fast food processed junk soda).  I can honestly say that in my diet only 1% of it is actually "unnatural" food.  That one percent being my post workout recovery protein shake.  Other than that I try my hardest to steer clear of products that have something on the label that I don't recognize or know what it is. I recently saw a meme on the Internet that read
"if you don't recognize it neither will your body"

the only kind of supplement or anything of the sort that I take now is a fat burner on my cardio days.  It helps me push past my obstacles and overcome what I've done in the past.  I am weening them out of the trend though in the very near future.

another philosophy that I live by is I shouldn't have to replace anything in my diet in order to lose weight.  If you tell me I must forgo a meal and have a shake to drink instead to "save calories" I'm not interested.  I'd rather fuel my body up with good natural foods and push myself harder than I normally do at a workout and eat something I can not only pronounce all the ingredients in but also know exactly verbatim what they are.

if the only thing you take from this first half of the blog is to be conscious of what you put into your body then my job is 25% complete.

I recently started a new routine, which I am not disclosing to anyone until I have completely finished the first cycle, so there will be a blog update on that in a couple months.

another thing that I should of mentioned earlier that people who commit to losing weight or getting into shape together are more likely to succeed than those who don't.  Another great reason to use MFP get on read around on the message boards I can guarantee you that almost ANY lifestyle plan that you're searching for has a group on there that will welcome you with open arms!

before I sign off on this post try to do me one small favor over the next seven days.  Just try writing down what you eat everyday and at the end of everyday before bed just look back over what you have consumed throughout the day.  You'll be surprised to see what the results are!

if you're interested in finding me on MFP, Instagram, or facebook I will post the links below follow me message me or just reach out if you need someone to talk to and lend a supportive ear.

Remember don't be so focused on where you have to go that you lose track of where you've been!!!!

Until next time fellow fitfam readers!!! Be Healthy and do something Healthy this week.  You're body will thank you for it!!


MFP Bmurphy102
IG BMURPHY102
Twitter wrkunprgrs102
FB ilor69@hotmail.com

Monday, June 24, 2013

The Bandwagon, Broken bones, and the aftermath......

hello stranger.....yes I am still alive and well....although there was a point a couple of months ago I thought I'd be better off dead.....first to my readers I have to apologize for not posting in awhile.....I was doing so well and on top of things then one of what I thought was going to be the worst things at the time in my life happened.....

I had started bootcamp here in Orlando at the beginning of March.  I was pumped I was excited I was ready to see some serious results! During my first week I put my body through more pain than it had ever experienced but I kept on pushing through because my desire was stronger than the pain.  my second week on a dreary tuesday morning my course was about to come to a dead end, or so I was thinking at the time.  I was doing line sprints on my third station trying to push harder and dig deeper...then it happened....like in slow motion I could feel my legs go numb starting at my feet and quickly move up to my hips.....what happened next only took about a millisecond to happen but in my mind it felt like forty minutes.  I fell down on the ground and landed with my elbow tucked in under my chest.....when I landed and got up my arm was numb and a little tingly but I pushed on wiped off my embarrassment and pushed through.....until it got to the point where I couldn't extend my arm without excruciating pain...off to urgent care I go for some xrays only to be told I need to see a specialist....great I have $32 in my pocket and $100 in the bank......and I was scheduled to work a double that day....so they put my arm in a half cast and was to be on no work for three days....and off to see a specialist.....long story short I fractured my radial head in my forearm and was replaced on light duty and couldn't lift anything more than five pounds for a month.....ummmm excuse me?  I have a goal to complete and reach and I couldn't have a set back like this....I was devastated.....at my lowest....I temporarily moved back in with my parents with my two dogs which to them I am ever in debt to....I watched what I ate seeing how I was restricted on what I could do as far as a workout....the amount of pain I had at just the thought of turning my hand would bring Dwayne Johnson to his knees (that's "the Rock" for those of you wondering ;) )

well in the mean time I decided to start looking for a new job and literally one fell in my lap....it was only a temp job but now it's going to be going permanent so that's one of the good things to come out of this.....


now as for the "bandwagon" that was previously mentioned....I started an office job...my lunches consisted of fast (fat) food....poor decisions on over all food and to top it off i would lay in bed and eat peanut butter M & M's before bed...soda became a staple of my day....sweet tea and energy drinks consumed my mornings......

then i went to key west for vacation it was at that time that a picture was snapped of me full body.....after I saw the pic I KNEW something had to be done I let myself put back on 15 pounds and my clothes were starting to get tight.....it was then that  I ordered a book called the primal blueprint and the knowledge that i continued to learn through that book was AMAZING!!!!

now I am back on the right track and being healthy and smart about it....I've rearranged my schedule to try to fit in some gym time and over all just make better choices....I don't expect nor want sympathy or empathy but rather my "cheering section" in this journey...Ultimatley I am doing this for myself and no one else...I've made some great friends with strangers and have had people get in contact with me telling me that they have found strength and encouragement through my blogs!! I urge all you readers to follow me on instagram and twitter and let's help turn this world wide epidemic of obesity around and help kick it in it's FAT ASS!!!!

well that's all for today I will be writing again soon about a new thing that I have discovered and started taking which is an all natural fat burner......but i want to test it out before I go putting it out there!! hope everyone had a great weekend and try to do something healthy this week and remember take baby steps!! You didn't put the weight on overnight so don't expect to take it off overnight!!!

Take care readers!!!!

until next time get out there and be HEALTHY!!!!

instagram: bmurphy102
twitter:wrkinprgrs

Friday, March 1, 2013

The numbers game....




today I want to play a game.....

A number game if you will

no not that kind of number game lol

the kind involving everyone's most hated tool that they have in their house

the Scale

people are always intrigued as to how long I have been living a clean lifestyle and how much weight I've lost how much a week did I lose etc etc etc

I also get those people that come to me and say "i've been in the gym busting my ass for two months and I've only lost 5 pounds. what am I doing wrong?" my answer to them is simply this

you're weighing yourself.

I'm not saying that I don't weigh myself because I do BUT I don't attach myself to the scale.

As you go throughout your day your body weight changes so in the morning you may have gained two pounds, according to the scale, but it could be a multitude of things water weight, full intestines, the list goes on and on....

I weigh in every saturday morning at the same time each week that is a healthy way to track weight weighing yourself once a week at the same time on the same day makes you accountable for your weight loss goals...this saturday though will be my last weigh in for the month of March due to the fact that I am starting a bootcamp next week and I want to see what a month in the bootcamp does for my body and I want it to be a drastic change.

weighing yourself once a month on the same date at the same time is a healthy option to otherwise you become so dependent on the scale and  when it doesn't give you the number you wanted or think you deserved you get frustrated and think this isn't working why am I doing this and give up all together....

one of the biggest motivators to myself in this journey that has keep me going, besides losing weight and feeling great, is measurements.  I measure myself once a month at various spots on my body.  I do both bicep's (little unknown fact for you is that everything that you have a pair of on your body one will be bigger than the other see you learned something lol) I measure around my stomach using my belly button as a guide my hips about where my pants sit and both of my upper legs  I then add all them up and, along with my weight, write it down on a calender that hangs right next to my door of my bedroom.  it's something I have to see each time I go out of my room and makes me visually accountable for keeping me focused.

another great tool to use is pictures.  I knew that before I started my weight loss journey I looked like this
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=af1bebfa00&view=att&th=13d1491f0c2f2771&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-A5BMqubhzx114EGoKOhpT&sadet=1362157382332&sads=516ZQQwN_Rl6TFOwOqWqwoUe464
the picture on the right is me at the end of september and the picture on the left is myself at the end of October you can see a small difference there
I religiously took my pictures on the first satruday of the month and would put them side by side to see my progress coming to work...I did this for three months and then life happened and while I still ate clean exercised and took my measurements I didn't feel the need for taking a picture anymore....so randomly I decided to take another picture one day in the mirror about three days ago and it turned out like this


https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=af1bebfa00&view=att&th=13d1490ab996db57&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-A5BMqubhzx114EGoKOhpT&sadet=1362158099647&sads=A49CgaV2wgMo15MBSPVgjZVqr80

I know I am laying down lol but that's the best I could do with my imageing on my phone lol

so I thought ok so I've lost a little bit i can tell in my stomach

it wasn't until I took these two pictures and merged them and this is the final result




see what taking pictures can do for your progress and motivation?!?!?!?  I look completely different now and seeing these two pictures side by side it gives me a boost of confidence and motivation that I need to keep on moving on!

so basically what I am trying to say here is that don't just keep jumping on a scale after a few days of working out thinking that you're going to see great results it takes time

you didn't put the weight in two weeks so you defintley won't take it of in two weeks

one of my favorite sayings is "never give up what you want the most for what you want right now" and it's true I know I am a work in progress but each day i wake up I'm better than I was the day before...

until next time guys!

live healthy be healthy!!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

you are what you eat......

so it's no secret that the lifestyle I follow allows me to eat really well and clean six days a week and one day a week I can have a "cheat" day.  it allows me to get my cravings out give in to my sweet tooth go out with friends and have a beer or order that fried piece of shrimp that sounds so good with french fries and ketchup.  but after this past weekend I have had a "lightbulb" moment......

all your life you hear that you are what you eat and you don't really think about it until you think about it this way.  Food effects everything.  Our social life, our home life. our digestive track, our mood, our views on ourselves........
wait
did I say our mood?

what could food have to possibly do with our mood?

I'm glad that you asked....

when you become so involved in a lifestyle that consumes you and you have had that second "-ion" moment that I described in a previous blog your brain starts to view food differently.  It sees it as what it is meant for nutrition.....that's simply it.....so when my one day comes around that i can eat whatever i want I wake up ready to jump start the day and dig in and eat until i feel like i could get sick.....

about half way through the day, usually around noon, another feeling sets in......depression

food weighs heavy on our emotions....we all knew that otherwise we wouldn't have those "emotional eaters" out there would we?  usually after I eat something that is "bad" or something that my brain tells me "we aren't getting nutrition from this" the mood sets in and that's when the bad feelings start coming out....

I feel fat worthless effortless and just an all around waste.....so it occured to me yesterday while my cheat days are important to me to keep my metabolism revving high and training my digestive track how to properly draw nutrients from the food that I consume on my cheat days maybe instead of going overboard and eating what ever I want for the WHOLE day I am going to implement something new on my next cheat day....

hopefully this will lift my mood and I will still see improvements in my weight loss

I also took on something that I didn't think that I would ever do I signed myself up for a bootcamp that starts March 4th.  I'm scared but I know that if I don't start pushing myself past my limits that I won't see results....I think this will be both healthful and beneficial for me to to kick myself in the pants be sore for awhile and truly see what my body is capable of

I am going to try to make it my personal goal to blog at least every other day this week it's good for me to put this out there and expose myself to other people and one day I hope to share this story with a client of mine and encourage them and give them the support that I receive day in and day out from all my friends and family!!  Until next time

live smart and live healthy!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

H2OOOHHHH NOOOOO

Today's blog is educational as well as fun!!


water
h20
aqua
thirst quencher
rain
streams
rivers
lakes
oceans
water

Water is an amazing thing if you break it down and think about it.  More than 2/3rds of the earth is comprised of the two hydrogenated oxygen bond.  something else that water comprises more than 2/3rds of is


your muscles.

your body is made up of only 50-65 percent of water so is it surprising that water is more present in your muscles?

the average human being only drinks only 40 oz of water a day.  we aren't talking about tea or juice or the dreaded S word (soda) we are talking about pure natural water
 that's sad.  really sad.  I know that they say you should drink at LEAST 8-8 oz glasses of water a day to keep yourself hydrated but what many people don't realize about water is it's powerful effects.  which brings me to todays blog topic

water

64 oz is the MINIMUM that your body needs daily BUT if you're on track to losing weight did you know that simply by adding another  8 oz glass of water per ten pounds you want to lose will actually help you achieve your goals? studies have shown that people who changed their diet and simply added another 5 8 oz glasses of water each day to their diet lost more than those who just kept it to the minimum 64 oz of water.  what I am getting at is DRINK MORE WATER!!!! I have a 1.5 liter bottle of water that I fill up at least 3 times a day that's over 150 oz of water a day that i consume.  I know in part that my water consumption is in direct correlation with my skin.  it hydrates you and keeps your skin fresh and smooth.  often times people mistake hunger pains for your body's way of telling you that it's dehydrated.  your body doesn't have different ways of telling you which one it is hunger pains or dehydration.  the most common symptom from dehydration is muscle cramps and spasms

now when to drink water is a different story. I always would sip on my water during my meal and nine times out of ten I would finish my water off right after I finished eating......little did I know what I thought was the right thing to do was actually damaging me and my efforts.

your stomach doesn't have a typical "valve" on it.  it actually has a force valve so when the stomach is full it presses the food down and out of the stomach this is where water comes into play.  by drinking water while you eat you're actually forcing the food out of your stomach before the stomach has a chance to properly digest the food and pull the nutrients from it.  so you're actually not doing that well by drinking with your food .  I recently implemented the 15/30 rule and it's results are surprising!!
I don't drink 15 minutes before I plan on eating nor while eating and then wait at least 30 minutes after I have finished eating.  I feel fuller longer and don't feel so sluggish or wishy washy after I have finished eating.

I know this blog is a little all over the place but it's getting late now and I am sleepy so that is all for tonight I will be trying to update at least once every other day until the next blog
stay focused and stay healthy!!

Friday, February 8, 2013

The Three -ions of living a healthy lifestyle and working out

ok so I can't promise that I will blog everyday however this is something that has been brought to my attention and I feel the need to address it

I AM NOT A LICENSED PERSONAL TRAINER NOR A HEALTH COACH THE VIEWS AND BELIEFS CONTAINED WITHIN ARE SOLELY MY OWN

so I was asked by a friend yesterday "I feel like I'm failing on my diet.  What is your motivation to keep you going?"  I poised the question on facebook and asked around and the answers varied

To look better
to look forward
to think of where I've come and not go back

this got me really thinking about what I call the three -ions of living the lifestyle that I do

1) Motivation

it's a powerful word it's what our subconscious views as our goals or dreams, aspirations, and what keeps pushing us to do the things that we do.  Sometimes our motivation is for a need ie; food to eat clothes to wear water to drink.  Those are things that we must do everyday.  But what's your motivation to live a healthy lifestyle, to go to the gym day in and day out, to realize that a cupcake may taste good but you really shouldn't have it.  Motivation all starts from within.  The best goals that you can set for yourself are the ones that will not only motivate you but also inspire you.  about two years ago when I started researching weight loss and keys linked to it a friend of mine recommended a book that completely changed my views on losing weight Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.  you can purchase it on amazon or download it directly to your phone or you can continue reading on and I can summarize it for you.  View your mind as a vessel out in the ocean.  The eyes are the captain seeing where it's going knowing fully what's going on around it.  It relays this information to your conscious which is taking everything in and processing it, which would be the first mate.  The subconscious is the rowers not seeing what's going on where it's going or even aware of it's surroundings it's only taking orders from the first mate and captain.  when your conscious thinks that something can't be done it's only natural that your subconscious accepts this.  When you're at the gym and you've been on the treadmill for 20 minutes and you say to yourself that you "simply can't go another ten minutes" your subconscious wants to make that so.  It will start shutting your body down making it feel fatigued and tired when in fact it really can push on for much longer.

ok so I'm getting a bit off topic but this ties into your motivation I promise.

I use to say "I want a body like Dewayne Johnson" that was my motivation for a long time.....until I realized that I'm not Dewayne Johnson, I don't have his genetics, his muscle fibers, or anything associated with his body.  that was when I changed my thinking.  instead of saying "I want a body like_____" tell yourself that you want to be in better shape for yourself.  I admit a little vanity comes out when people say that I am losing weight and looking good, but I remember I'm not doing it for them I'm doing it for me.




the key to Motivation is that you HAVE to BE your own motivation! I want to live a healthy life, I want to be more active, I don't want to pass away when I'm 52 from a heart attack, I want to feel better about myself.  losing weight and getting into shape is a mental attitude.  trust me if you want to lose weight or get toned to catch someones attention or to fit in with a certain crowd you're only setting yourself up for disappointment and failure.
I get motivated to go to the gym because of the feeling AFTER I leave.  I feel healthier, my self esteem rises, and I know that I've given it my all.  also sometimes the eye candy helps just to inspire me while I'm there hahaha Hey I'm only human after all

2)Dedication

congrats you just joined a gym! you've started eating healthy! you're pumped!! you're ready to take on the world!!!

that feeling goes away

as sad as it is to say it's the truth. after a couple weeks you don't see any changes you are tired of eating chicken and broccoli and you say "why am I doing this it's not working so I should just give up now"
I think of a great photo and saying which is true
    http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s480x480/530464_10151219586510610_237873943_n.jpg
12 weeks? that's it? come on you can stick to it for three months that's 90 days of your life once you start doing a repetitious action after 22 days your body makes it a habit.  you must be dedicated to living this lifestyle and realize that it's not just a diet it's how you will live your life from here on out.  Stick with it don't make it something you have to do make it something that you want to do!  Don't like running on a treadmill? then use an elliptical.  if that isn't something you like play basketball for an hour find activities that you enjoy doing rather than finding things that others do that work for them that you HATE doing
remember you are not that person I don't push what I do for my lifestyle on others because it may work for me but may not be right for them.  it took me five years to find something that works for me and now I've completely changed how i think, act, and feel.  Both of these bring me to my last -ion

3)Transformation
after you have your motivation and your dedication is in place solid that's when you get to start reaping your rewards from all your time, sweat, tears, and struggles.  I started this lifestyle back at the end of september of 2012 it wasn't until around january that people really started to notice my body changing.  it takes time you simply can's just want to lose weight and sit at home and eat fast food expecting it to happen
you must do something about it one thing that works best for people who struggle to lose weight is to find someone that will be just as dedicated as you are about getting healthy.  By making small changes to your life you will notice that things will start to fall into order and the pounds will melt off.  if you have some friends who like to go out and eat and drink a lot allow yourself sometime with them but be aware of the situation don't make it a daily habit to be around them make it a weekly one.  A big part of eating out is will power but we will discuss that later.  once i started noticing my body change my self esteem started to change too I always tell myself that it took me a year to put the weight back on I can't expect for it to come off over night.  It's going to take motivation and dedication to see the transformation.

I always look forward on my journey i glance back at older photos of me and say to myself "no you're not going back to that point in your life" months maybe even years from now I will look back at these blogs and think to myself  "look how far you've come since then"

so now that you've read on you need to ask yourself three important questions
1) What's your motivation?
2) Can I be dedicated to living a healthier lifestyle for 12 weeks?
3) Am I ready for a transformation?

That's all for today! Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will be posting tomorrow my weekly weigh in and tomorrow is my measurements and photo day too!!!

Until next time

Thursday, February 7, 2013

pull up a chair and listen hear my story

first of all I want to thank all of you reading this right now.  It means that you were either searching for something health related or are one of my dearest friends and have taken the time out of your day to read this. 
Secondly I want to tell everyone THANK YOU for your support through my weight loss and lifestyle changing journey.  All the positive feedback and words of encouragement are what keeps me pushing along each day and makes that finish line just a bit closer for me to cross.
Lastly I just want to say that even though this blog is public I will not tolerate ANY disrespect, rude remarks, nasty comments, or trash talking on this blog.  if you don't agree with something I post that's fine you don't have to be whiny about it and complain I understand that not everything I do, what I eat, how I workout will settle well with everyone and I don't expect it to HOWEVER I value their opinions such as you should value mine!!
alright enough with the jibber jabber and on with the show I now present to you

CONFESSIONS OF A FOOD-A-HOLIC

ever since I can remember I've struggled with my weight.  the first time that I was aware of me being a bigger kid was probably in the fourth grade I remember wearing the "husky" size clothes and just figured that I would grow up and out of it besides when you're 8 years old the only thing you think about is how close are we to summer break and why can't we just pause it on summer so I wouldn't have to go back to school lol
growing up I had it fairly easy in school I was well liked got along with most of my class mates graduated towards the top of my class and did fairly well in all of my subjects.  I went away to college only to come back home two weeks later and just start working.  it was around 2001, three years after I graduated, that I found service industry and became a server.  I worked at a local mom and pop mexican place then a pizza parlor then went on to obtain a job at applebee's in my hometown.  That's when life changed.  I was 23 serving/bartending making good money and a friend I worked with mentioned to me that her and her mother were doing a weight watchers group and wondered if I'd like to join them.  I said sure I'll drag my sister in too! we went to her house and when it came time to weigh in the scale, which only read up to 310 pounds, wouldn't read my weight.  so I told my sister that we should go to an actual weight watchers meeting someday and check it out.  we decided on a saturday morning to go at 8 am we walked in on our first day got signed up got our welcome packets and all the information we needed to start then it was  time for the first weigh in.  I can honestly say that was the first time that I have ever held a number to memory for all these years.  I took my shoes off stepped on the scale and thought i bet i weigh about 325-330........when the number appeared before my eyes I was ashamed.....397! I was 25 years old and almost 400 pounds.  This kicked off my weight loss battle almost seven years ago. 
I continued doing weight watchers for nine months losing a total of 77 pounds with the program.  it was in september of 2006 I moved to sunny warm Florida.  I took a small break from weight watcher, only to never go back to it again, and while I was working at an irish pub at downtown disney my "work wife" and i decided to do the south beach diet and join a gym.  I weighed in at 310 pounds at the begining of march 2007 and by october 2007 I was down to 235.  early 2008 I transferred to Kansas City MO to open a new bar there and always maintained my weight right around the 235-240 mark.  the whole time I was at this weight though I kept telling myself "ugh you're fat you're gross"looking back now I see the errors of my way and now know that i was doing wrong all those years.  while living in Missouri I also came out to my family and the rest of my friends.  Being an overweight person in general society is bad enough but being a gay male and being over weight is truly hard.  I moved back to florida at the end of 2009 and that's when things started to spiral out of control.  I was eating late a night not exercising and cramming my body full of fat and junk food. 

I know I'm rambling but I'm almost there I promise lol

flash forward to 2011 I'm working in orlando at an Italian restaurant  and at the end of the day we can take home the left over lasagna.  THAT"S GREAT!!! so I would take a piece, or two, home lay in bed at night after work and eat them both usually then go right to sleep.....
well living like that isn't good nor healthy since moving back to florida I packed on another 80 pounds bringing me back to 320 :( after i moved to orlando I started going to the gym working out a little here and there, thanks in great part to my roommate, but my diet was still out of control. 
one of my best friends down here started doing Body By Vi shakes and wanted me to try them so I gave in and gave it a shot.....after months of doing the shakes I lost maybe 8 pounds total something wasn't right I knew I had to change something else. laying in bed one night I googled "not losing weight on body by vi" and that's where things got interesting which brings me to the point that I'm at today writing this blog and why you're reading it.....

+fourhour bodyapp

a lady with the same problem as I, doing the shakes not losing anything, had asked the same question and stumbled upon Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Body and when she made some minor changes she started shedding weight

and I did too

many times people ask me what is the four hour body how can the do it what does it entail etc etc etc I would explain to them for 20-30 minutes  explaining  the ins and outs what to do what not to do what to eat what to take when to do it

now I just simply tell them it's slow carb not to be confused with no carb and the rules are simple
1-nothing white  no bread, flour, starch, etc
2-don't drink your calories  only water coffee and occasionally Iced or hot tea
3-eat within 30 minutes of waking up
4-no dairy  Dairy has the highest amount of sugar  compared to fruits
5-try to consume at least 30 grams of protein with each meal
6 *this is my favorite* one day a week have a cheat day where you eat whatever you want

I'm not here to sell you on the 4 hour body or body by vi I gain nothing from that I'm simply here for you to learn from me and do something about it! one of the things I despise the most is when people say I'm tired of being fat...I use to say I know me to.....now my response is then do something about it

complaining will get you nowhere, sitting around and wanting change just simply isn't going to happen

ok so one thing I have done here as well as changed my lifestyle (you will never nevver never never hear me use the word diet-a diet is something that you go on to lose weight only to get discouraged after a couple of months and give up a lifestyle is something you live day in and day out) is I've also changed my mental attitude.  when I first started to lose weight about a year and a half ago I was doing it to get attention of others.....WRONG.....do it for yourself not for others.  once you make that mental change the physical change will follow. 
this is just one of the many journal entries that I will post since I've started doing both the 4 hour body and the body by vi shakes at the end of september I'm down 42 pounds!
I'm closer to my goal than i was when I started and that's the way I look at it one step at a time one foot in front of the other
two of my favorite quotes both have to deal with working hard for what you want
"the dictionary is the only place where success comes before work"
"never give up what you want the most for what you want now"

My goal is to reach my mid 30's and be in the best shape of my life and also to inspire others to do the same and eventually one day help others too who want to lose weight but are just as clueless as I was when I first started.
I will be updating weekly on my cheat days which are also the days I weigh in on I will be adding recipes too as I come across them!

now I challenge each of you that have read this to make a healthy change in your day whether it's parking a little bit further from the store, buying more fresh fruits and vegetables vs processed, or to simply take an evening or morning walk.

until next time!!!