Recently in Diet Category

Smoothies are a great way to refresh after an especially hard workout. Here's my recipe:

• Frozen Strawberries,
• Frozen Raspberries,
• Soy Protein Powder (Trader Joe's works well)
• Vanilla Yogurt,
• Orange Juice, and
• Magic Bullet

Here's how to make magic:

1. Take one of the handled glasses and the four-bladed mixer.
2. Put five to eight strawberries (depending on size) in the bottom.
3. Add raspberries until the glass is about half full.
4. Add a scoop of soy protein powder
5. Pour in some OJ until it reaches the top of the fruit (Careful! It may float the fruit. Don't put in too much.)
6. Pour in some yogurt (about a 1/2 cup or so.)
7. Fill the rest of the glass with OJ.
8. Screw on the lid real tight, and blend it for about a minute, and enjoy!

I hit the thirty pound mark this morning. Thirty pounds lost. Gone. Hasta la bye-bye. I think it's for real because I didn't work out yesterday, and drank plenty of water to maintain proper hydration levels. I've been on a steady decline all week. It's surprising, really. After about two months on South Beach, I stopped really worrying about carbs, and started eating lots of things. But, I was still conscious of what I was eating. I reintroduced healthy carbs; Whole grain in stead of white breads...diet vs. regular soda...whole grain cereal vs frosted flakes...rum & cokes vs. beer...more water and on and on. All contribute to weight loss and a healthier heart. I didn't expect to continue losing weight, and didn't for the longest time. Like any geek, I've kept a running log of the weight loss. (The green is phase one of South Beach, which lasted three weeks, instead of the standard two.) It shows that I really hit the bottom at about 186, and bounced around there for a while.

But today it really hit me. I've lost thirty pounds. That means I was thirty pounds heavier. Fifteen percent of what I was is no more. I was carrying a small child in my belly. It's no wonder why basketball was so much easier. (OK, it's not easy to play, but it was easy for me to run up and down the court.) It's especially satisfying to see hints of my fabled six- pack returning, as well as some sort of semblance of the grail-like triangle the ladies adore. I can't tell you why I finally started to drop, but let.s hope it keeps going.

I took some tests a couple of weeks ago. Saturday, I found out results of the blood work (normal thresholds):

• Triglycerides: 124 mg/dL (below 150)
• LDL: 100 mg/dL (below 100)
• HDL: 45 mg/dL (acceptable: 40-60, above 60 desirable)

The total comes to 170 mg/dL. Up a bit from last year's 163, (and right on Kris's prediction), but it's actually good since the LDL went down, and the HDL went up. WebMD has a great overview on what it all means.

Overall, I'm quite pleased. This is after only three months of lifestyle change. Imagine what a whole year will do. All hail the South Beach Diet!

A few workouts last week taught me something: Carbs are good. The lack of carbs and increase in workouts since August have pretty much rid my body of carbs. I found my self losing energy quickly in workouts, feeling very tired and sluggish throughout the workout and recovery during the day. So, I've ditched the most stringent parts of the diet, keeping the principles of watching what I put into my body and limiting bad foods. So, buns & bread are back in, (whole wheat, of course) and salads will remain in rotation, but just not emphasized as much.

I also decided to scale back on weighing myself. I was recording it every day, keeping a log of the first three months on the diet. Kris said I was obsessive. I didn't think so. The weight hasn't wavered in two weeks, so I think I've hit the bottom for now around 187, a full 26 pounds lighter. I'll still weigh myself twice a week on Monday and Friday to make sure things are still what I expect them to be. I'm a bit nervous about the pending holiday season, but I plan on maintaining the workouts, even intensifying the swims.

Over the past three months, I never stopped to think what actually happened to my body. It actually consumed itself from the inside. I didn't see any of the fat drop off in chunks. It all disappeared inward, with no physical evidence left behind. My body ate itself. Cool.

In weight loss, milestones have always related to the number of pounds lost. The most common question I hear is "How much weight have you lost?" Losing weight is relative. The pounds I've lost wouldn't make a dent in a 400-lb. person, but could be catastrophic for anyone less than 125 pounds. Besides that, muscle is starting to replace the fat and everyone knows that muscle weighs more than fat. I like to measure my weight loss in the smaller things, like pant size, shirt size, and notches on the belt.

So, in that vane, I've dropped two sizes in my pants, a size in shirts, and two notches on the belt. I can bend over to tie my shoes, rather than bringing my feet up to my waist. I'm starting to see my upper body restore its triangle shape, formed by broad shoulders and the lack of a spare tire. New, smaller pants bought a month ago are now too big. I am confident, not self-conscious, walking to the pool in my suit. Those milestones & mindsets make more of a difference than what a scale measures. (But, since you still ask, I've lost 24 pounds since day one.)

Overall, I'm tired, but I'm well on the way to set myself up for some serious training. For the next few months leading up to the Alumni Meet in December, I'll be swimming three times a week (M,W,F), and running twice (T,R) and biking after work when ever possible. I plan on biking the Ironman route (at least the loop portion) at least once, if not twice (not in the same ride), before it snows. Winter training will include time on the stationary bike trainer (Thanks Nelson!), more swimming and track/treadmill running.

The past week has been a whirlwind of activity. I turned 29, closed in on 23 pounds, and furthered the training.

Kris was able to score my membership at the UW facilities for way cheaper than expected, so now I can start swimming my self back into shape. The first day was a rough 1500 yards, but I know that it will get easier. I think I have to get some new suits, 'cause the old ones are really getting big.

I'm still on the next smallest belt loop notch. The new pants I bought with a smaller waist have already been deemed (by others) as too big. I usually shop for shirts in XL, but had to pass many of those up on the sale rack to hunt for the few larges that were left. All fit very nicely.

I'm over the 250 mile mark on Sting, with a 40-mile ride today to Oregon (the City, not state) and back. Kris kindly reminded me that we'd only done one-third of the Ironman 112 miles. So far, but not nearly far enough. The goal is to complete one loop (about 70 miles) of the Ironman course by the time the snow flies. Running continues as well, with a few more ~5 mile runs. A half-marathon next Memorial day sounds very doable.

I'm hovering around the 190 pound mark, closing in on the 185 pound goal. Because of the Birthday, we kind of let ourselves go on Friday. We had greasy, cheesy burgers at Dotty Dumpling's Dowry, the best burger joint in town. Throw in a basket of fries and the bestest fried cheese curds around, and you've got a blown diet. Amidst all that, I stayed whatever course I could and avoided any beer. All that grease tasted so good, but I know it's so bad. Don't worry, we stocked up with lots of salad, eggs and turkey-meats at the grocery store tonight, so there's nothing to worry about.

Finally, oodles of thanks to everyone for the well wishes and support. It means a lot to me to get your messages.

The big annoucement Friday helped my focus take shape. No longer was a hiding a dirty secret, and I received overwhelming support and kind words from everyone. Thanks much for that.

I haven't posted a workout update in some time. I've been busy updating the workout site, as well as working out. Six out of the past seven days I've been on the bike or running. Saturday I had my longest run yet: a meager 5 miles in 48 minutes. The good news is that's way better than I went in the Crazylegs run in April, and I wasn't even trying as hard.

I'm taking today off, and possibly tomorrow to rest my legs. I say possibly, because if I can get a membership to the UW system between now and then, I'll start swimming. I also bought The Triathlete's Training Bible to guide me through the next year. It's jam packed with great advice and tips.

As for the diet, I'm hovering around 20 pounds lost, putting me at 193. This morning, I had to use the next tighter notch on my belt in order for it to fit. I've never used that notch before.

Some banner things happened today. First, I went on an unexpected run. I wore a heart-rate monitor for information purposes. It said that I was working out at about 190 bpm, which is awfully high. I can remember maintaining that type of heart rate for several sets when swimming in high school, so maybe it's okay.

Checking in with the scale confirmed awesome news. I weighed 198.2 lbs. Just over 15 pounds lost in 14 days. Anybody that says these diets are a fad most likely are the ones who need to try it out. I'm hooked, and after reading the book, I'm going to extend the strict phase another week to see if I can keep shedding the weight at the same pace.

Kris & I made some major purchases in bikes. I stuck with the Giant TCR even though Erik's had a sweet Specialized. Price made a difference here. Goin with the TCR allowed me to go with a really nice set of shoes for the cost of the Specialized alone. And Kris absolutely fell in love with the Specialized Roubaix (Say it: roo-bay') and its smooth ride. She loved it so much, I think she would've left me if we didn't go back and get the last one in her size. Thoughtfully, the clerk "hid" the bike in the display window so it would be there if we came back.

Now completely outfitted, we toured around Lake Monona on a nice 14.8 mile ride to complete my first two-a-day.

A nice day with bad weather. The scale held true at 199.9 pounds. Barely under 2-bills, but under. As Kris said, "Who's rounding anyways?"

Pretty muched finished up the bike shopping, too. I think I'm going to go with the Giant TCR. The price is a lot more than I intended, but I really didn't know too much getting into this. As we shopped it was appearant that weight is inversely related to money. With it, I get really nice components, a compact, stlyish look, and potentially life-saving (lack of) weight. I still need to ride it because of all the rain today.

Tomorrow is the last day of Phase 1. After that, we get to start reintroducing carbs back into the diet. Thus far, it's gotten much easier to prepare and make some healthy meals. You feel a steady fullfillment throughout the day, rather than the ups & downs of hunger when eating massive amounts of carbs. I also don't feel the need to feel full after a meal in order to make it to the next one. I wonder how many carbs I really need anyways. I still miss beer.

A banner day! The 200-pound plateau has been breeched, if only so slightly. 199.7! When I first focused on the numbers, it scared me a bit to see all the high numbers, but the very little first one made the difference. I know the scale is just teasing me, but it's fun to see.

Also exciting is the looseness of pants and shorts that haven't been worn since Day 1. The belt is even feeling a bit looser. It's days like today that makes all that baby spinach taste so good. The run this morning was a nice cruise with an awesome sunrise over Lake Monona.

I'm also proud to say that last night, I faced adversity and didn't flinch. Both at dinner and out with friends, I had the opportunity for a beer, and I was able to maintain my strength.