weight loss awesome in TWO WEEKS, ha

4 years ago i looked awesome... but slowly over the last few years i've been looking bad again.  my midsection is larger, my face looks puffy, and worst of all, my neck and chin stopped existing, slowing being replaced by a waddle of flab that came to the lower end of my round face.

this would not do... and then i noticed that some jeans i had didn't fit anymore.  oof.

4 years ago, it took THREE MONTHS to get into shape, and it was painful.  i ate the same thing ever day:

an egg for breakfast, with 1 piece of toast
a can of tuna for lunch, with a small low or zero cal dressing plain lettuce salad
a cup of chicken and a cup of broccoli for dinner
only drink water.

and i did an hour of cardio on an elliptical every 12 hours AND paid a trainer $85 an hour, 3 times a week to beef me up.  but after 3 months, my jawline was defined, my abs started to show, and the reaction from others was awesome.

its not something we should be proud of - but the world is a shallow place.  the impact of my change in appearance was noticeable.  i make up for a lot of it socially with personality, but i want the combination back.

i tried over the summer... i went a while without booze... i went a while drinking diet soda... i went a while trying to do the treadmill... nothing really had an impact.  then i went to lunch with a friend of mine who used to be a trainer, who noticed my distaste for diet soda, and pointed out that weight loss is 80% what i put in my mouth, the other 20% is lifestyle.

what?  lifestyle?  yes... the whole 'eat every 3-4 hours' thing, the whole 'stress adds weight' thing, the whole 'get at least 7-8 hours of sleep' thing.  ugh... hate that too.

but i knew that if i didn't do something, the weight difference i noticed especially over the last year would start to stick, and i'd need at least 3 months again.

i did not want to go back to that exact diet, it was bland, and water sucks.  plus, i wasn't going to spend $1000 a month for a trainer again.  but i thought about what i could do to get things going.

i realized that on some level, i had to do what was right - and all of what was right.  i couldn't work out, then spend a few nights of week drinking soda or booze.  i couldn't not eat for days and expect to lose weight if i follow it with fatty foods and soda.  i couldn't eat better and then only get a few hours of restless sleep.  i couldn't eat the right food, and exercise, then expect to lose weight and sleep well pouring caffeine and salt and sugar into my body.  i could dance with those things if i was trying to maintain weight, but i wasn't going to lose weight that way. i had to take this seriously.

first, liquids.  research shows a gallon of water a day leads to weight loss and a higher metabolism.  so i broke out the 2 quart pitcher and got some Crystal Light packets.  the 2 quart pitcher is the better option because i know i need to drink at least 1 whole pitcher a day... and its better than water with zero calories.

so, eggs... all protein.  2 eggs as a sandwich on wheat toast are better, add pepper and some Louisiana hot sause - MUCH better.  at only 225 calories, you can pull one yolk and breakfast is solved - really, snacks are solved as well.  crack an egg in a bowl, then crack a second egg in your hand over the bowl so you can catch the second yolk.  mix in pepper and hot sauce, then microwave for 2 minutes.  after that's started, put in the toast.  the eggs will be SO HOT when they come out, give them time to cool (while you take a morning shower or dress), and wash it back with water or CL.

tuna... ugh... once in a while, its not bad, but every day - it SUCKS.  and most people make tuna salad with mayo which is just fat.  however, i found that mixing tuna and mustard and the same Louisiana hot sauce can be tasty as well. so, in a bowl mix that together, and put that on toast.  wash that back with water or CL - and actually, its good enough to often leave me wanting another.  with that, lunch is solved, as are some snacks as well.

then dinner - a cup of chicken and a cup of broccoli... pain in the ass compared to the first two.  the first two options leave 1 messy bowl.  this screws up whatever pan or foreman grill you're cooking with.  if i had a gas bbq pit, this would almost be easier if i wanted to go to the store for freak chicken breasts every few days, but i don't.

so - the reality is that this is veggies and protein.  so, time for the salad.  and for the protein, more tuna.  to that i add some walnuts and some sesame, with that a friend of mine told me about this new salad dressing with zero or 'trace' calories.  that, and of course, more hot sauce.  toss all that together so it's well mixed, wash back with - surprise, water or CL.

with all this, i found out an app previous released on Android has now been released for iPhone that gives me a defined workout over 3 days and covers the entire body.  that 3 days a week, then on the other days a week i do an hour of cardio.  per the advice of a few trainers, i do 3 difference cardio machines, doesn't matter which three as long as they aren't the same or at least aren't in the same order as last time.

in TWO WEEKS there has been a noticed difference, people are already commenting.  the jeans now fit (um, barely) already, and actually, some of the shorts/pants i own now require a belt or they'd fall off during the average day.

TWO WEEKS.

i'm going to continue... i'm going to get a month in before the 'cheat day' i've been advised to take, then see if i can get even better than before in the 3months i spent last time.

i moved!

well, this blog did... i host my blogging accounts with Google and now that they are slowly adding all features to professional accounts, this is now hosted properly.  if you're seeing this, you're in the right spot to read my mental flatulence after October 2011.  please let me know if you see any errors since the move.

i'll probably post more later, i always do...