The Heart of the Matter - Lose to Win!

My road back to health and fitness is a personal journey filled with many steps and bites taken each day.  It took many years for my health to be damaged and will take many more for that to be completely undone.  However, I have experienced what many would call an amazing transformation in just six months.  My challenges were certainly not the same degree that some people will face.  But have no doubt, I struggled daily with choosing to eat healthy, exercise and stop making excuses!  It's all in your mindset.  Sure I made some mistakes along the way too.  I hope you can learn from my personal experience and take away from it what you need to succeed in your own personal journey. 

 Every man is free to rise as far as he's able or willing, but the degree to which he thinks determines the degree to which he'll rise.  - Ayn Rand

I am often asked now, “What did you do to lose weight and improve your health?”  There are several factors that can be identified in the success of people who lose weight.  But first, by identifying the things that led to my packing on the weight, I can offer some tips for a weight loss plan that will work when you decide and commit to doing them, as it has done for me. 

I love food!  Before I began my weight loss routine, I would eat more or less whatever I desired.  I could stuff myself to the point where shortly afterward I would hurt.  I would eat and drink whatever I could get my hands on.  I had no idea how many calories I was consuming.   I also had no idea what my body needed calorie wise.  I liked to stay up late, snacking on a huge bowl of mixed nuts, chips and other junk food in one hand and a drink in the other.  There were days where I was so tired upon waking up that I would snooze in bed till the very last minute, with just enough time to spare to get to work on time.  That meant that many breakfasts were skipped.  For lunch and dinner there was rarely a time where I wouldn’t fill up on meat with very little vegetables on the plate.  Fruit was not part of my regular diet.  My diet consisted of very little fish and other lean proteins.  I love bread and would daily down a peanut butter and honey sandwich on white bread.  I ate lots of white flour foods, pasta, a ton of white rice and many other processed and canned foods.  My meals were spontaneous.  I’d come home, look in the fridge to see what was there and grab whatever I could to fill my stomach.  At work, lunch often consisted of KFC, A&W and other fast foods including the fries and pop!  I loved to drink slurpee’s, down energy drinks, knock back a few beers daily and the list of high calorie beverages goes on and on.  Water was not high on my list of things to drink.  I rarely exercised.  Sure I’d go to the swimming pool now and then or go for a walk from time to time.  I cut the lawn when it had to be done and shoveled the sidewalks in the winter.  But generally, my time was spent on the couch watching television, on the computer playing games and more or less being a slouch on my butt.  So imagine that’s your kind of lifestyle and what years of these bad habits will do to your health.  My before pictures are evidence of what happened. 

So now that I’ve identified the actions that damaged my health, let’s take a look at a plan that works to heal yourself through proper nutrition and exercise.  This plan is called Decide, Commit, Succeed!  IT IS HARD WORK!  Do not underestimate how tough it’s going to be and how committed you’ll need to be to get the results you want.  Amazing effort brings amazing results when you make a promise to yourself and follow through with your plan!

Figure out where you are.  How many calories does your body need and how many to burn off.  Besides the kinds of food you eat, you need to burn more than you take in to lose weight.  There are some free food journaling websites that you can use to track what you eat.  Do it!  You won’t know where you need to be until you know where you currently are.  One of the most important meals of the day is breakfast.  Don’t skip it!  Matter of fact, besides three small portion meals each day, I recommend two or three snacks throughout the day between meals.  Your diet must include fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, including fish, white poultry and legumes. Toss the white bread and all other white foods in the trash!  There’s zero nutrition in them and the refined simple carbohydrates play havoc with your blood sugar levels and pack on fat.  Instead, eat whole grains in all their varieties.  Don’t wing it!  Spontaneity is good in the bedroom, but for meals it’s best to plan ahead.  Write down what you’re going to eat and when you’re going to exercise.  What you drink is critical.  Soda pop, alcohol, energy drinks, etc contain empty calories, meaning no nutrition.  So eliminate these and eat the nutritional calories your body needs.  Drink plenty of water.  Nutritional food is 80 percent of the formula for success in your weight loss plan.  The other 20 percent is vigorous exercise 5 to 6 times a week!  Make sure you plan for it and make it a priority.  It’s an investment in your health, so don’t let anything distract from you committing to this daily regimen.  Schedule yourself an appointment on your calender!

You don’t need a gym or club membership.  You don’t need to be a star on a television show.  All you need to succeed is listed in the simple weight loss tips above that worked for me and have worked for thousands upon thousands of people who decided to take control of their health and stop making excuses.  Don't reinvent the wheel.  No fancy gadgets.  No gimmicks.  Just good old fashioned eat healthy and exercise.  Just show up and keep pushing play! It’s your choice! 

I hope that by reading through my blog archive that you'll be truly inspired and feel motivated to get off your butt.  I’d be happy to read what you have to say about my blog posts and answer any questions you may have. Let me know how you're progressing in your own personal journey.  We strengthen each other in the sharing of our stories, and I'd enjoy hearing from you.  So tell me what's worked for you, what hasn't, what you're challenges are, what your successes are and more. 

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life. So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me. I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts. I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes. So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started! 

A Love Affair

I couldn't help myself, I completely gave into my desires and lost myself in her arms.  She's become like a drug that I refuse to give up.  She's totally irresistible at times and when she calls to me, I bend at the knees and find myself powerless to her temptation!  The very thought of her just makes my heart beat a little faster and I build up the anticipation until the moment when she touches my lips!   Oh the sweetness of her dark curves and subtle, creamy and soft taste as she melts on my tongue!  My Diva's name is Cocoa and I am a slave to her taste sensation!  I'm having a love affair with dark chocolate!!   The seduction of cocoa has a long history dating back thousands of years.

In the book “Chocolate: a healthy passion", Shara Aaton and Monica Bearden compare men’s and women’s chocolate cravings. They say,  both men and women enjoy chocolate, though women tend to be more vocal in their “needing” chocolate (p.165). Eighty-five percent of men and 86% of women claimed to give in to their craving.  Is chocolate just a guilty pleasure, like a friend with benefits?

In the book entitled Better Than Sex: Chocolate Principles to Live By, British author Theresa Cheung states that it was her long-standing “love affair with chocolate” that prompted her to write this little pocket-size guide to better living through chocolate —“without feeling guilty.” According to her “a massive 60 percent of women would rather have a one-to-one with a chocolate bar than have sex!”

But seriously, while dark chocolate may satisfy your carnal cravings, it may also be a remedy for some health conditions. Milk chocolate is higher in sugar and lower in beneficial compounds than dark chocolate, and the best choice for dark chocolate is at least 60 percent cocoa solids by weight. Eat dark chocolate only in moderation every few days as part of a healthy diet.

Many of the potential benefits of dark chocolate result from its content of flavonoids, which refer to many groups of compounds in plant-based foods. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids called flavanols. Flavonoids may act as antioxidants, which means they reduce the cell-damaging activity of dangerous free radicals in your body. Dark chocolate may reduce your risk for heart disease, but many other dietary and non dietary factors contribute to your risk for heart disease.  See note at bottom.

Doctor Steven Warren examines the health benefits of dark chocolate. He explains the function of anti-oxidants and bioflavonoids and the fact that dark chocolate is the #1 superfood in the world.



As Dr. Warren indicated, dark chocolate may also reduce your risk of heart stroke. The effect of dark chocolate is similar to that of a blood thinner that can improve your vascular function, which means that your blood vessels are more relaxed and your risk for stroke decreases.

Nutritionally, one ounce of quality dark chocolate provides about 3.3 mg iron, or 18 percent of the daily value for this essential mineral for preventing iron-deficiency anemia.  Dark chocolate supports a healthy blood pressure because it provides 200 mg potassium and only 6 mg sodium per ounce, and it provides 64 mg magnesium, or 15 percent of the daily value, for this essential nutrient for a normal blood pressure.

So the next time you're tempted to have a love affair with dark chocolate, don't feel guilty about your submission to it's powerful seduction and resulting health benefits.




Eat right, have a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and drink or eat chocolate to utilize this superfood to feel better and improve the quality of your life!

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life.   So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Note:

TOP ANTIOXIDANT FOODS ORAC* Units Per 100 Grams
Dark Chocolate	13,120
Milk Chocolate	6,740
Prunes	5,770
Raisins	2,830
Blueberries	2,400
Blackberries	2,036
Kale	1,770
Strawberries	1,540
Spinach	1,260
Raspberries	1,220
Brussel Sprouts	980
Plums	949
Alfalfa Sprouts	980
Broccoli Florets	890
Oranges	750
Grapes, Red	739
Red Bell Pepper	710
Cherries	670
Onion	450
Corn	400
Eggplant	390
*ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a measure of the ability of food to subdue harmful oxygen free radicals that can damage our bodies.

HARD CORE!

I want a six-pack!  Who doesn't want to get into the best shape of their life and have the perfect abdominal section.  A strong hard core has everything to do with strength, power, performance and your health.  If your midsection is weak, guess what...you're probably not benefiting like you could from this crucial center of power, agility and balance.

Using the P90X program has provided me, and several friends I know, (in the picture to the right, thanks Toni & Matt) with the perfect way to develop my core strength.  If you neglect the core muscles that consist of your abdominal and back muscles, the oblique side muscles, the transverse abdominis muscles that wrap around your torso, you are at significantly higher risk of pain and injury.  If you have lower back pain and want to reduce or virtually eliminate it, then you must improve your spinal flexibility by going hard core with exercise. 

However, I won't promise or guarantee you a six-pack if you fail to clean up your diet.  Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand.  I had a huge belly at a whopping 47 inches of fat when I started this journey on February 1st, 2011.  If I had continued down that path of obesity from overeating and poor nutritional food, it's most certain I would have developed cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney ailments, joint pain and a host of other conditions that medical doctors have linked to weight gain and bad diet.  Carrying all the extra belly fat was just a real pain and was becoming a major problem for me.

Fast forward 6 months and today I'm trimmed down to a respectable 34 inch waist! (I'll post updated pictures of my progress after August 1st) I have the creator of P90X, Tony Horton, to thank for giving me the program that brings results.  It offers a variety of core exercises that improved my posture, enhanced my body movements, strengthened and defined my abdominal and lower back muscles and is flattening my tummy!  I don't have a six-pack yet, but I'm working on it hard and daily.  Here's a video below that I put together of my workout today with a montage of the variety that's offered in the Core Synergistics Workout from Beach Body.



I ended my fat trend, I know you can too!

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life.   So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

David's 90 Day P90X Transformation

I invite you to check out my new transformation video of my first 90 day round. It began on February 1st, 2011 and continued through to May 1st, 2011. During that time I lost 45 pounds, 8 inches off my waist and about 14% body fat!



See more amazing success stories from other regular guys just like myself at the Success Stories section of my blog.  If you would like to learn more about P90X, please read my blog post on Beginner, Striver or Warrior.

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life.   So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Are you battling sleep deprivation? Some of the symptoms you may feel are sluggishness, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness, poor memory and may be gaining weight or have trouble losing weight.  I've struggled with these issues for several years.  It got so bad that I finally and reluctantly had my medical doctor refer me a few years ago to a sleep specialist.  They wired me up and I tossed and turned the night while they diagnosed my condition.  Turns out I had sleep apnea.  My wife already knew how much of a problem it was when I'd stop breathing in my sleep, only to take a huge gulp of air and a lot of snoring.  It was as much of a health issue for me as it was to her sleep patterns.  The specialist said I would need a CPAP machine to help keep my restricted airway open while sleeping.  My medical doctor said the machine would help, or I could lose weight and that my condition would likely improve and correct itself. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), over 25 percent of Americans experience sleep deprivation. For some, disrupted sleep results from the hectic nature of busy modern lifestyles. For others, serious sleep disorders affect both rest and health.  Sleep plays a vital role in health and wellness.  Most people know that eight hours of sleep per night is desirable. 
 
People who got very little sleep ate more, but did not necessarily burn any extra calories in a new study that adds to evidence supporting a link between sleep deprivation and weight gain.  The new findings from the University of Pennsylvania show that “sleep should be a priority,” said Michael Grandner, who studies sleep and sleep disorders at the University in Philadelphia.  “If you’re trying to be healthy, don’t forget that getting healthy sleep is probably an extremely important part of being healthy,” said Grandner.   

In a separate study, the department of Neurology at Northwestern University in Chicago linked obesity to sleep duration.  The study also found that people who sleep later into the day and eat later in the day had a higher body mass index.   What they found was that late sleepers consumed 248 more calories a day, mainly at dinner and later in the evening. They ate half as many fruits and vegetables, twice the fast food and drank more full-calorie sodas than those with earlier sleep times.  "The extra daily calories can mean a significant amount of weight gain - two pounds per month - if they are not balanced by more physical activity," said co-lead author Kelly Glazer Baron, a health psychologist and a neurology instructor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  “The research findings could be relevant to people who are not very successful in losing weight,” said Phyllis Zee, M.D., the study’s lead author. "The study suggests regulating the timing of eating and sleep could improve the effectiveness of weight management programs."



As a youngster, and even into adulthood, I have pulled many an all-nighter.   There is always a price to be paid the next day: trouble focusing, a fuzzy memory and other cognitive impairments.  When I improved my diet and lifestyle to healthy eating and started exercising, the sleep apnea began to minimize and eventually virtually eliminated.  I now get a sound nights sleep, as does my wife.  I'm able to function at what I feel is a much higher level of cognition.  I think clearer, have more energy and vitality, feel stronger and don't get the sleepiness or feel sluggish.  I no longer feel fatigued and my weight is now ideal!   Sleep deprivation leads into a cycle that seems to spiral out of control, if we choose to let it.  I took back the control through proper nutrition and exercise and my sleep deprivation was reversed.

Is sleep deprivation holding you back in life?  Nearly everyone knows that good nutrition and regular exercise are key ingredients to a healthy, happy life. However, nutrition and exercise are not the only foundational elements of well-being. Without healthy sleep, my overall health was utterly compromised. Fast forward from three years ago, and thus, nutrition, exercise and sleep became a key factor in the success of my well being.   It is absolutely imperative to be educated and understand the importance of these three foundations.  I am a testament to its impact on my life.  I hope my blog post today will help empower you to live life to its fullest. 

If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Boredom is Enemy Number One

At one time or another you and I have each experienced boredom to one degree or another. My kids are usually the quickest to say “I’m bored,” but  as adults, we experience our share. Boredom comes sometimes from a feeling of laziness, exhaustion, or even a lack of mental stimulation.  It's a  very powerful emotion that if not kept in check can run our lives a muck.  I don't know how realistic it is to keep my mind and body continually at its peak, but it's certainly is something to be striving  for.  Having an active lifestyle and being the director of my life is something I've  always aimed for, but haven't always been motivated or persistent in that department.  When boredom is on the mental and emotional stage, I feel robbed of  having my needs met.  Boredom becomes enemy number one!

When I'm bored I feel empty inside.  Sometimes I just get fed up with a particular situation at that given moment or at the lack of activity in my life.  Boredom leads to complacency, makes me feel tired, restless and can cause me to procrastinate and become indecisive.  I end up do nothing which just makes me even more fed up and bored.  You start to feel like you're in a rut.  Your outlook on life turns sour.  You may even feel irritable and angry. These negative things turn into negative self-talk that just further fuels the boredom, especially when I'm alone, which often leads to overeating or binge eating.

You've probably heard that before you can accomplish something or make it happen, you need to visualize what it is you want.  Who do you want to be and where do you want to go? What is your purpose?  Is your routine too repetitive or overly structured?  Change it up.  Instead of waiting for something to happen,  take action yourself and initiate it.  Think, if it is to be, it is up to me.  Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan.  The key to overcoming boredom is simply refusing to allow it in  the first place and to have a positive outlook about life and all of its endless possibilities.  One of the actions to overcoming my boredom has been changing my attitude and outlook on life.  It seems to have have a positive influence to how I perceive boredom. 

Being inspired towards bigger and better goals, I've become motivated and have fewer tendencies to feel bored.  A great method to longer lasting health and well-being is simply moving your body and getting that circulation going. Exercise stimulates the chemicals called endorphins that improves your mood naturally and makes you feel better.  Get off the couch and get busy with something, anything.  Plan your day so it's full of activities for your body and mind.  TV does not engage your mind, so don't even think about it! Live your life, not theirs.  Beachbody workouts, like P90X, offer a variety that keeps the boredom away too, as long as you keep pushing play. 

So the next time you start to feel bored, give yourself a daily goal and then keep your mind on that goal. Get excited, get inspired, get motivated and be persistent!  There's no time to get bored.  It's that little push for yourself that keeps everything interesting.  Finally, remember that nutrition is king and exercise is queen, put them together for your own kingdom and squash the boredom bug!  Let me know what your remedy for boredom is by leaving a comment today.  Thanks for reading the blogpost and I hope you will share it.

If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me. I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts. I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes. So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Sweat This!

At the conclusion of my Kenpo X workout Wednesday evening I was totally amazed at the level of intensity that I had achieved for the duration of 1 hour with an average heart rate of 146 beats per minute and a high of 160! I wear a heart rate monitor. Ya baby, I was in the zone! The result of that insanity was I was literally dripping from head to toe as though I had just stepped out of the shower. It felt great knowing that I was working hard to improve my cardiovascular health. The training exercises are a bullet proof way to fire up your metabolism, which is what I'd like to blog about today.



Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns up calories just to keep you alive. The body functions such as your heart rate, your lungs breathing, your blood coursing through your veins, your mind thinking and dreaming, everything your body does is burning calories all the time. The more you work your muscles, the higher the calorie burn and the resulting increase in your metabolism.

Before I began to be concerned about my health, I spent most of my time on my butt and eating a LOT of junk! To think that every moment I spend sitting down at my desk, on the couch watching TV, at the computer is time spent growing fat! Every single moment I have spent over the past 4 and half months has been on my feet helping me to get trim! If you want your bottom line to grow, literally, do nothing. Changing the way I think about my health and the foods that I eat, and changing how much I move my body everyday are two of the components that have helped me to succeed in building a body that's now a fat-burning machine.

Dieting is not about following a so-called quick fix diet and then go back to the same way of eating. You need to eat plenty of food. Starvation only works to boost fat gains and lose precious metabolic burning muscles! Eating nutrient rich foods in a balanced diet will help you to retain and build muscle while burning fat, and you'll have more energy, better health and a happier outlook on life. Just the simple act of eating smaller meals more often (5-6 times a day) helps you to burn more calories. Not only that, but the very types of food you put in your mouth will also have a direct effect. Lean proteins simply burn more calories while at the same time dulling your hunger.

Exercise and moving your body are critical to building up your metabolism and burning calories. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, find a way to be more active in your daily activities, such as walking and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the store to walk further, standing while waiting instead of sitting at the doctors/dentist office, carrying your own golf clubs instead of using a cart, bike instead of drive, have more sex, and the list goes on. The gym is not the only place to make your body move. All of the 12 exercise routines I have done with Beachbody product P90X created by Tony Horton have been at home in my living room. The resistance training using weights and my own body weight have helped to strengthen my muscles, which in turn burn more calories and raise my metabolism. The proof is in the sweat and the amazing transformation of my body!

I used to come home after work, often at night, and so hungry ready to devour a big meal just an hour or two before sleep. The key to avoiding this pitfall is to eat often during the day and fuel up on whole foods that truly beat the hunger and fatigue. There is no magic genie or miracle pill. Eating a smart, balanced diet with the right kinds of protein, carbs, fats that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fewer bad foods like refined or artificial sugars and sweetners, trans-fats and too much salt, are your first line of defense against health problems. With proper diet you can eliminate and control such enemies as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. You too can become a nutritional superhero and boost your metabolism all day!  I now eat like a superhero and get the best bang for my calories.  I think I'm eating more than I ever did before and rarely feel hungry.  It's not about eating less, it's about getting more out of the food you do eat and being in the best shape of your life.

If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Fuel For the Race of Life

Like a performance engine that runs on high octane fuel, we can fuel our body with supercharged foods for peak health.   As I grow older I want to ensure that my quality of life is the best it can possibly be.  That means eliminating certain foods and eating habits and replacing them with nutritious whole foods and making it a lifestyle for everyday.



You can buy an extended warranty for a car.  But if you want to have an extended life free of malfunctions and defects, you can't buy an extended warranty for your body.  It's going to rust out if you don't care for it.  Preventative maintenance is critical to your durability, reliability and quality of life!  If you ignore this for years like I did, it's going to eventually catch up with you. 

This doesn't have to be complicated or expensive like outfitting an engine with a supercharger.  It only requires a little self discipline to break the old habits and form new ones that are going to benefit your body.  You don't need to get all crazy on dieting.  It's simple and it's easy!  But it will challenge you in the beginning as your body experiences cravings for things like salt, sugar and fats.  Your with drawl symptoms from addiction to junk food will take a little time to break free from, but your body will respond to the nutrition you're fueling up on and the cravings will diminish.  I've noticed that if I eat something now like a bag of Cheezies, my body immediately responds negatively to the junk!  My body now finds those unhealthy choices to be toxic and wants to rid itself of it. 

In the first few months I began my health journey, I researched and closely monitored my diet.  When I use the term "diet" I don't mean a diet that is restrictive by starving yourself to lose weight.  DIET is what you eat.  DIET is nutrition and the sum of food you consume.  DIET is the deliberate selection of food to control, not only your body weight, but your health based on the nutrients you take in.  There are many foods that aid our diet and many that are a hindrance.



First the foods I have forsaken and avoid. Here are my dirty dozen.

1. Pop, soda, diet and regular
2. Sweeteners, artificial and refined sugar
3. White flour and other processed grains
4. White potatoes and white rice
5. Caffeine, especially energy drinks and coffee
6. Fried foods, especially restaurant fast foods
7. Dairy, especially cows milk, ice cream and most cheese
8. Butter, margarine
9. Sports drinks
10. Pre-packaged meals
11. Animal products, namely beef.
12. Alcohol, particularly hard liquor and spirits.

Eating healthier is not as hard as it seems.  Focusing on some simple foods that are packed with nutrition is a common sense prescription for health and wellness.  Your heart and your body will thank you for it!  Here are the top ten nourishing whole foods I feed my body for nutrients that satisfy and are delicious! 

1. Fruits (2-3 daily servings)
2. Vegetables, fresh and organic where possible and affordable (2-3 daily servings)
3. Leafy Greens (unlimited servings)
4. Whole Grains (2-3 daily servings)
5. Other Grains (eg. Amaranth, Quinoa, Millet)
6. Seeds & Nuts (4-5 weekly servings)
7. Lean Proteins ( from seafood, eggs & poultry, 1-2 daily servings)
8. Legumes (4-5 weekly servings)
9. Soy-based Proteins (2 weekly servings)
10. Healthy Fats (1 daily serving=2 tablespoons oils)

These super foods when combined with at least 30 minutes of daily exercise are a recipe for also dropping unwanted inches and pounds to get your body back to a lean machine!  I guarantee that you will look and feel great and be in the best shape of your life!  I'm no longer taxed by unhealthy foods that robbed me of energy and sped up my aging.   I now have a 100% improved digestive system, my muscles have toned and developed and I have a higher level of mental alertness.  In short, life has taken a 180 degree turn and I feel like I'm regaining my youth at the age of 48!

If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

No Nonsense Foods

Changing how we eat changes everything! The dietary changes I made in the last several months made a huge impact on my health and quality of life. But this change didn't just happen all on its own. No one handed it to me on a silver platter. No amount of praying or pleading brought any miracle. I had to make a conscious effort and become more informed about food choices. If you fail to plan, then plan on failing.

Almost immediately when I began to make smart healthy choices did my obese body start to respond. What were some of the side effects of no nonsense foods? For starters, I began to shed excess weight. In the first 4 weeks of my plan I reduced 17 pounds of excess fat! In the past 4 and half months 57 pounds of excess fat have been lost!  When you eat more fruit and vegetables in their natural whole state, another side effect manifests itself. I began to experience improved digestion and daily elimination. I won't bore you with the gory details, but suffice it to say that it feels great to live each day without stomach pain, without cramping guts and sitting on the throne waiting, pushing, grunting and cursing.

Within a matter of weeks my body started to have increased energy and stamina. No longer pained by the with drawl symptoms of caffeine and sugar, proper nutrition was now giving me a boost. The usual afternoon sleepiness and lack of energy was virtually gone from my daily routine and replaced with achy and sore muscles I didn't even know I had! It even hurt to sit on the toilet my butt cheeks were so sore! I just knew my body was changing for the better. One of my favorite sayings from Tony Horton, the creator of the P90X training program, is "I hate it, but I love it." Wow can I relate to that! I struggled, but I kept pushing play. The no nonsense foods are such a critical part of the plan that I cannot emphasize strongly enough how committed you need to be in order to maximize your investment in yourself.

There are other benefits that I continue to experience, like a sound sleep. I had been diagnosed two years earlier with sleep apnea. My wife didn't get a good nights rest either due to my horrendous snoring. The doctors monitored my sleep patterns by hooking me up to a couple dozen wires. We tested my lung capacities and did a whole bunch of tests. I was told that I could sleep better if I had a special breathing machine called a C-PAP continuous positive airway pressure). I put it off and tried to ignore the issue. I had such excessive daytime sleepiness that I could literally fall asleep within minutes if given the chance. You could say I was a very irritable person to live with. No nonsense foods combined with my daily P90X training quickly began to reverse this disorder. Proper rest and sleep is critical to your health. The old adage early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise, rings true. I still like to sleep in from time to time.

Another amazing side effect of no nonsense food is how you will start to look and feel  much younger!  If you're looking for the fountain of youth, it really does exist, and it exists in proper eating and exercise.  What and how we eat has such an impact on our quality of life and improving our appearance.  I don't want to live with daily pain, discomfort and unhappiness.  It doesn't have to be that way for anyone.  If you're overweight, you may feel many symptoms.  Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about.

• snoring
• headaches
• unrefreshing sleep
• a dry mouth upon awakening
• high blood pressure
• irritability
• depression
• difficulty concentrating
• heartburn
• reduced libido
• insomnia
• frequent nighttime urination 
• restless sleep

When I learned about healthy choices and decided to act on the information by committing myself to doing what needed to be done, only then did I begin to see positive changes.   This isn't a short term plan.  What I'm driving at is a long lasting lifestyle that works with my individual needs and tastes.  When I fuel my body with nutritious no nonsense foods, I reduce or eliminate what holds me back from looking, feeling and functioning at how nature intended my body to work.

Over the course of the last several months I have learned a few lessons along the way.  In future posts I'll address things like how I planned and prepared meals.  When you go grocery shopping, there's a healthy way.  Understanding food labels goes a long ways in making good choices.  When you're educated on food facts, it's much easier to dispel the myths, so I'll try to share and pass along tips and advice that's helped me and will help you too.  When you discover the truth about something, you'll be amazed at how it can truly set you free!  I guarantee you'll lose weight, you'll reshape your body and gain greater health.  

If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Significant Dietary and Lifestyle Changes

Since February 1st, 2011 I have embarked on a journey of health and wellness.   Today I'd like to very briefly share the kind of lifestyle and dietary changes I made and the significant impact it's had on me.

For the past four and a half months I have gone from being an obese individual to a healthy weight.  People who have not seen me in several months are amazed at the transformation.  I am amazed myself.  The question they all predictably ask is, "how did you do it?"  The answer is surprisingly common knowledge, but not commonly practiced. and when it is practiced, it is a struggle for most to maintain the practice.  Even though many people are aware of this knowledge, they fail to take those corrective actions in their life.  I know because I was one of those people who ignored the facts and statistics and didn't know who or where to turn to for help because I really didn't think or believe that I had a problem.

 
We all need food to survive.  Food is instinctively a necessity to maintain and support life.  The moment we are born, we instinctively eat.  Nutrition to a newborn is critical for growth and development.  It should come as no surprise then that nutrition is continuously needed to maintain growth and development of the human body.  Without nutrition, the body begins to show signs and symptoms of weakness and failure.  The body can only withstand so much abuse before it starts to misfire and shutdown.

Eventually I reached the point in my life at the age of 48 where I began to misfire. Thankfully my body wasn't so far gone that it was shutting down.  A 47 inch belly, a 46 inch chest and hips were the result of years of bad habits and a mostly sedentary lifestyle.  Among the bad habits was a dietary plan, not really a plan, but a diet that consisted pretty much of whatever flavors and pleasures appealed to my taste buds and filled what seemed like a bottomless pit in my stomach.  I loved to eat red meat.  I loved to eat fatty foods, french fry's, greasy burgers, milk shakes, sausages, and the list goes on!  I'd come home from a full day of work and want to watch TV or play video games while filling up on pop and chips. When we would go out for dinner, I'd binge at buffet's eating as much as possible to the point where I would literally have to loosen the belt a notch to take the pressure off the belly!  Full to the stomach but still a hunger that went unsatisfied. 

The so-called magic pill does not exist!  There is no magic remedy.  Starvation does not fuel your body with the nutrition it needs.  Over feeding your body with less than nutritious food does not fuel your body to prevent it from misfiring and shutting down.  You reap what you sow!  Bad fuel in equals no power out.  Good fuel in equals high performance.  If you keep on doing what you've been doing, you'll keep on getting the results you've been getting.  Only will a significant dietary and lifestyle change bring results for growth and development.  So at the age of 48, my mind and my heart where ready to decide and commit to such a change.  The rest you could say is history, but history is written in the past and I am writing my future, so this is to my success and lifelong journey with health and wellness!

At the recommendation of a coworker, I was introduced to a training program called P90X.  The periodizational training changes with three training blocks over the course of 90 days and does not require a gym or club membership or any specialized equipment.  The strategy of P90X helped me to stay focused as I exercised right at home in my living room.  Here is the mother of all workouts called Plyometrics, or jump training!

I am now into my second round and 19th week of P90X and I feel great!  My belly has gone down to 36 inches and both my chest and hips are down to 40 inches.  I've lost a total of 57 pounds todate!

No magic pills, no magic cures, no special blend of herbs or spices.  By eating less red meat and more fruits and vegetables together with rigorous daily exercise I have been able to restore my body to peak performance!  No misfires and have significantly reduced my chances of a premature shutdown.  If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!