DETOX Day 3 of 10 (I think)... Friday 2/3/2012

By George I think I've got it!!  Not a hundred percent sure, but it definitely worked better today than the previous two days and I feel fantastic.

I figured out the six meals thing and worked it out to be a total of 2059 calories.  Surprisingly, I don't feel hungry at all.  In fact, I feel a tad bit full.  I'm feeling this picture Claire posted the other day in real life...

The Third One is the Best because You Actually Feel Full and Satisfied

Probably the best part of the day is that I have already developed a little rhythm to what I am doing.  There are two solid recipes that I think I will be sticking with for a while, and I've added a couple other things to boost the calories and round out the day.  I've also decided to add some ground flax seed to add protein, some essential fats, and extra calories.

I really liked the protein shake from yesterday (http://fitnesstogethercarylochmere.blogspot.com/2012/02/detox-day-2-of-who-knows-thursday.html) but I have changed it a bit.  Instead of just 8 ounces of the unsweetened Almond Milk, I cranked it up to 16 ounces.  The protein powder stayed the same, and the Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner application will remain the same.

"The Green Swamp"

For the mornings, I tinkered with what I had last night and decided it was pretty breakfasty (that's a made up word but I like it).

Lemons - 1 Full Lemon
Navel Orange - 2 Full Oranges
Broccoli - 2 Cups
Baby Spinach - 2 Cups
Vanilla Flavored Almond Milk - 16 ounces
Ground Flax Seed - 2 Tablespoons

For the afternoon snack and evening snack I split this smoothie into two separate servings, but this is the total recipe...

"The Purple People Eater"

Napa Cabbage - 3 Cups
Beets - 1 Cup
Beet Greens (this is what they call the leafy part) - 2 cups
Vanilla Flavored Almond Milk - 16 ounces
Blueberries - 2 cups
Turnip - 2 cups
Ground Flax Seed - 2 Tablespoons

Throughout the day I spread in some Cranberry Juice and I treated myself at night with some Dark Chocolate Almond Milk.

Like I usually do, I am front loading my calories.  It is always a good idea to eat the majority of your calories in the morning and early afternoon so your body has the opportunity to use those calories throughout the day.  If you back load the calories and eat late at night most of those calories will not be used up, and your body will turn them into fat for long term energy storage.

I'm trying to keep this somewhat general and not as detailed in ordered to make it easier to understand.  If you have any questions about specifics as far as individual item nutrition facts, brand names, or anything else please just comment either below or on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fitness-Together-Cary-Lochmere/342097606390) and I will get you the information you desire.  Chances are that I already have it and just didn't post it because of one reason or another.

Also, if there are certain ideas or concerns that you would like me to cover on a post to post basis let me know and I can work it in.  This is for you, believe me.... I love food way too much to do this for myself!

BOB'S BLOG: Tuesday, February 7

Workouts and food logs and Superbowls, OH MY!!

It's been a busy few days here at Fitness Together. Bob came in Saturday (Feb. 4) and Monday (Feb. 6) since the last time we posted. He's off today because of scheduling conflicts, but he'll be making it up on Saturday...don't worry!!

By the way, Bob is now half-way through this 6-week client case study...and we are so thankful for his TREMENDOUS dedication and perseverance throughout the process!

I'll catch you up on the workouts and THE WEIGH-IN first, then we'll talk nutrition.

Weight: 254.4 lb (down 4.4 lb from his original 258.8)
Waist: 41.75 in (down 3.75 inches from his original 45.5)
Body fat: ~30% (down .4% from his original ~30.4%)

One-On-One Personal Training Workout: Saturday, February 4
I haven't gotten the details from Justin, but Bob told me that they did a lot of classic, powerful exercises (chest press, push press, etc) VERY QUICKLY. They got done with all the exercises as fast as possible, which left extra time at the end of the workout to throw in some new stuff!

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 1075!!!

One-On-One Personal Training Workout: Monday, February 6 
Warm-up
Lateral Bounds (15 R/L)
Boxing (30, 30, 30)
Hops (10, 10, 10)
Upper Strength
Chest Press (35/12, 40/12, 45/12)
Rotate and Push (22.5/12, 27.5/12, 30/12)
Lower Strength
Ball Squat w/ hammer curl (20/15, 25/15, 30/12)
Elliptical (L25/4.0 speed, L10/7.0 speed)
Function
Split Squat w/ rotation (20/10 each leg, x2)
Ball slams (10/20)
Core
Crossing sit-ups (10 each side)
V-ups (15)
Stretching and Cardio

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 906
HIGHEST HEART RATE: 171 

Nutrition: Thursday, February 2
Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, 2 tbsp peanut butter (260)
Lunch: Progresso soup, 2 tangerines, grapes, almonds (335)
Snack: Granola bar (180)
Dinner: Veggie pizza on wheat crust (475)
Snack: Popcorn (100)
Drinks: 1 Diet Coke, 6 waters
DAILY TOTAL: 1,490 calories (This is much too low. Bob needs to be in the 1800-2000 calorie range)

Nutrition: Saturday, February 4
Pre-breakfast: Granola bar (140)
Breakfast: Granola bar (140)
Lunch:  Spinach salad, gyro meat, dressing (680)
Dinner: Beef fajitas (half portion), corn chips, guacamole (925)
Drinks: 2 Diet Snapple, 6 waters
DAILY TOTAL: 1,885 calories (This number is great, but Bob missed out on his snacks and ate most of his calories at dinner instead)

Nutrition: Sunday, February 5
Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, 2 tbsp peanut butter, Greek yogurt (390)
Lunch: Banana, almonds, fruit cup (320)
Dinner: Spring roll (120)
Snack: Popcorn (100)
Drinks: 3 Diet Cokes, 4 waters
DAILY TOTALS: 930 calories (Only half of what he should consume in a day, and there were no snacks)

NUTRITIONAL HIGH: I have to commend Bob for his self-control throughout his meals and especially on Sunday. Bob attended a huge Super Bowl party and didn't even go into the food room because he knew it'd be hard to say no to all that game day grub. How many of us can say that we didn't splurge a little on Sunday?  I know I can't.
NUTRITIONAL LOW: Although self-control is an EXCELLENT trait and an important component to weight loss, too much of anything is usually not a good thing. Bob has a bit of trouble keeping his caloric intake high enough to sustain a healthy metabolism and further encourage weight loss. It sounds counter-intuitive, right? You see, when the body doesn't get enough energy in a given day, it tends to slow everything down, becoming more efficient in its energy expenditure (i.e.  burning less calories) to save energy! That's not the best thing for weight loss, because we need to sustain a HIGH metabolism (i.e. burning up more calories) to help facilitate sustainable weight loss.

Help us continue to encourage Bob in his weight loss endeavor! Contrary to popular believe, it's still possible to ENJOY life when losing weight. Never forget that!

DETOX Day 2 of who knows... Thursday 2/2/2012

After my 1st day left a bad taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively), I decided to put a little more thought and effort into day 2.

Me in a Nutshell

I definitely was taking the chocolate out of the mixture.  For lack of a better term, we will be calling the mixtures smoothies.  The chocolate with the veggies I chose just wasn't a solid combo for me.  Second point was to break the day down into 6 meals (like I recommend for any diet).  This should help keep my metabolism active and give me a little extra energy throughout my day.  Third point of emphasis was to increase the caloric intake.

With these in mind (and before any dicing, chopping, and especially blending), I mapped out my day.

For my normal meal times (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) I chose to go with a protein drink made up of:

Unsweetened Almond Milk - 8 ounces
Natural Whey Protein - 1 Scoop

Between those meals I would consume 2 smoothies over time.  I figured there was no need to sit and suck down the whole thing.  This was especially true since I added to the serving size to help increase the calories.  This is what I came up with for the smoothies:

I'm a Big Fan of Beets

Napa Cabbage - 3 Cups
Navel Oranges - 2 Full Oranges
Raw Beets - 1 Full Beet
Beet Greens - 2 Cups
Vanilla Flavored Almond Milk - 16 ounces
Blueberries - 1.5 Cups

I divided this into two and thought I was the smartest guy on the planet.  Somehow I severely screwed this up.  I still am not sure how I didn't realize it, but if this was all I was to consume it would have been even less than yesterday.

In a slight panic I tried to think of something super high in calories for my last meal of the night.  Terrible idea because you never want to eat the most calories of your day at night, but I was desperate and knew that it would help for future days.  This is what I came up with:

Lemons - 2 Full Lemons
Navel Orange - 1 Full Orange
Broccoli - 3 Cups
Baby Spinach - 2 Cups
Vanilla Flavored Almond Milk - 16 ounces

This did help increase the daily calorie intake but didn't reach the goal.  With a few changes it will become my breakfast of choice however. 

All was not lost on this day.  Although I only reached 1487 Calories of the 2000 calorie goal, I felt more prepared.  I now had a better understanding of how to get to that goal.  I also learned that I needed to return to the grocery store in order to complete my mission.  Overall, mentally I felt positive knowing I was close to cracking the puzzle, but physically I was feeling pretty bad.

Every source I used for research on this subject warned that in the first few days you might actually feel worse.  They sited the fact that these new foods will naturally pull the toxins out into the bloodstream through the body's own cleansing processes.  It sounded hokie to me so I just ignored it.  Until today when I had a splitting head ache and just felt like I wanted to lay down for a day or two.  I never get headaches unless I am dehydrated (hungover) and I can guarantee after 136 ounces of water today that was not the case.

A Shout Out to Dozer (Erika's Bulldog)

Something else interesting... For fun and for the 1 month anniversary of when I started this blog, I decided to step on the scale.  There was good news waiting for me.  It read 211.8, which is at total of 10.4 lbs lost over the 1st month of my journey, and somehow 2.6 lbs lost over the past 2 days.  That last part may be fool's gold but I will keep you posted.  It could be the fact that I wasn't eating enough or that this detox thing might actually help your body purge some stuff.

DETOX Plan of Action and Day 1 of who knows... Wednesday 2/1/2012

First things first... I have to develop a plan for how I will attack this detox (kind of sounds like a medieval monster).  I also had to decide how far I was going to go down the rabbit hole.

My New Friend Detox

After researching, I knew I couldn't get the information I wanted or have completely honest results unless I went all in. 

One of the things that kept popping out to me was that, besides food, we collect a lot of toxins from everywhere.  Some that you might think of are Alcohol, coffee and cigarettes.  Some that I look back at and say duh, but really didn't think of are chemical based household cleaners, shampoo, conditioners, toothpaste, cleansers, and deodorants.  That meant in order to fully detox I had to get rid of those things.  That doesn't mean don't use them, it just means find some natural alternatives.  For the deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and body soap I chose a company called Tom's of Maine (here's a link if you want to try it http://www.tomsofmaine.com/home) and I am pleased so far.  I've stopped drinking since the new year and don't get down with coffee or cigarettes.  However, for the sake of full disclosure, I do still use the Lysol wipes at work to wipe off the equipment and mats.  Can't quite stop that one.

All right, to the important part, the food.  Like I said before, I wasn't a big fan of any of the preset recipes and diets I had encountered.  Luckily, I ran across a list of some detoxifying food that you can fit into any diet:

Hot water with lemon, Dandelion root tea, Cranberry juice and water, Ground flax and chia seeds, Unsweetened yogurt, Raw sauerkraut, Whey protein, Artichokes, Beets, Celery, Asparagus, Leafy greens, Daikon radishes, Onions, Garlic, Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage), Broccoli sprouts

There are many more than this but it was plenty to get me started.  I also made the decision to add another facet to the diet.  I didn't want to consume anything that might be difficult or at least more difficult for my body to break down.  That meant eliminating things like dairy, meats, anything processed, and anything with refined sugars or saturated fats.

I then took off to the grocery store with a list of foods I liked that fit the bill and tried to stay near the things that say "organic."  Some of you immediately thought organic = expensive, when you read that last sentence.  I don't blame you and if you just looked at the total I spent you would say I told you so.  But (given the hindsight of writing this a few days later) I actually spent about $130 on what will most likely turn out to be about a month's worth of food.  I don't know about you but that is actually cheaper than my monthly food expenses.  Especially if you take into account the fact that I am not eating out at all and this is covering me for 6 solid meals a day.

What I came home from the grocery store with was the realization that I didn't have a plan for what to do with this food.  I figured this should be easy, just throw some veggies in a blender, add some protein powder, and bam its done.  Kind of, but not really.  That could work, for most people it probably would work.  We have to remember that I am not just trying to detox, I am trying to do it in a way that won't diminish my energy levels or have any other unwanted side effects (see previous Detox Blog). 

It might be too late, but for the sake of brevity this is what I threw together on Day 1 -

Natural Whey Protein - 5 Scoops

Carrots - 5 whole carrots

Baby Spinach - 5 cups

Asparagus - 15 spears

Chocolate Flavored Almond Milk - 24 ounces

I threw it in the blender, split it into 3 servings and went about my business.  This did not go well.  It did not accomplish any of the goals that I set out toward at the beginning of this adventure.  The taste left something to be desired, I only consumed 1281 calories of my 2000 calorie goal, and I felt a little tired and pretty hungry at the end of the day.  I knew immediately that is was not Detox's fault.  The fault was mine and the next day I was going to do much better than the first (or was I?).

Enjoying my Chocolate Mistake (not really me)

Friday's Metabolic Trainer's Choice PACK Workout w/ Claire - 2/3/2012

Both Aliyah (my 2 year old daughter) and Claire joined me for this workout.  Exciting and a little nerve racking having your daughter running around near a bunch of dumbbells, not to mention the weights (great joke, huh?).

After a more positive performance Wednesday than I had imagined, I was pretty pumped about today's workout.  That is partly because before walking in I had no idea what I was going to be doing.  Like I said for Wednesday's blog, we are in a completely new phase and have completely different workouts.  The trainer's choice workouts are always a step up from the one's earlier in the week and today that made me happy.  Maybe I'm feeling good from this detox thing?  Who knows?  You will if you read those posts tonight or tomorrow.

I've made a decision to go with higher loads (usually means more weight but could just be more difficult type of resistance) with these new workouts and see if I can still keep the same pace.  If I'm successful in keeping the pace, then I should be able to build a little muscle and still cut some weight.  Of course, I had my trusty training partner Claire to convince me to cut out as much rest as possible and finish this workout as fast as possible.

This workout consisted of the Warm Up, and 3 stations.  Each station was designed to use one type of equipment, but of course I had to be difficult (or at least make it more difficult on myself) by changing it up slightly.  Station 1 used dumbbells, station 2 the agility ladder, and station 3 the medicine balls (or slam balls, medicine balls and dumbbells in my case).  Claire and I worked on the same exercises at the same time, which is a huge motivator for me.  We also chose to complete both sets at each station before moving on to the next.  Check out below and see what we accomplished in just 33 Minutes.

Warm Up - Active Stretching for Chest, Shoulders, and Quads; Side Kicks x 10 Each Leg; Mountain Climbers x 20 Each




Station 1 - 2 Rotations for :45 Each for as Many Repetitions as Possible w/ DBs


Chest Press and Leg Lift - 14 Reps w/ 60lb DBs for Round 1, 10 Reps w/ 70lb DBs for Round 2
Reverse Fly - 22 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 1, 21 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 2
Burpee w/ Lateral Raise - 9 Reps w/ 10lb DBs for Round 1, 9 Reps w/ 12lb DBs for Round 2




Station 2 - 2 Rotations for :45 Each for as Many Repetitions as Possible w/ Agility Ladder


Bunny Hops - 6 Lengths for Round 1, 7 Lengths for Round 2
Jab Steps - 6 Lengths for Round 1, 7 Lengths for Round 2
Side Hops - 6 Lengths to the Right for Round 1, 6 Lengths to the Left for Round 2




Station 3 - 2 Rotations for :45 Each for as Many Repetitions as Possible


Ball Slams w/ Slam Ball - 30 Reps for Round 1, 29 Reps for Round 2
Ball Plank - 45 Second Hold w/ Feet on Red Medicine Ball for Round 1 and Round 2
Jumping Jacks w/ Overhead Press - 42 Reps w/ 15lb DBs for Round 1, 43 Reps w/ 12lb DBs for Round 2

Wednesday's Metabolic - Cardio PACK Workout w/ Claire - 2/1/2012

First off, I apologize for falling behind, but we are now back on track.  Today and for the foreseeable future we will have some normal workout blogs.

With Claire having prior engagements, and myself being on baby duty because of sickness, I didn't get my workout week started until Wednesday.  This actually turned out to be really cool because Wednesday happened to be February 1st, and February 1st happened to be the day the girls changed our workouts to the next phase.

This month's Phase will be Metabolic.  So, the focus of our workouts will be to get our heart rate through the roof and burn as many calories as possible.  The Fitness Together definition is a little more lengthy - The primary purpose of this phase is to focus on increasing movement and pace for maximum caloric burn.  Either way it is a great way to lose some weight and hopefully get ripped up (striated if you will).

Today's workout was going to be a bit more cardio based so I knew I might be in trouble.  It was also the first day that I started my detox diet and the negative Nancy in me just couldn't see this working out well.  I, unlike usual, was wrong.  I had what I felt was an awesome workout with Claire pushing me hard the whole time.  Our goal was to run through this as fast as we could and see if we could finish before our next session started. 

The workout consisted of the Warm Up, 2 Circuits, and Core to round it out.  We decided to start on separate circuits, run all the way through both circuits, take a little rest then repeat.  After taking very little rest, it took us a total of 35 minutes to complete.... Enjoy

Warm Up - Jumping Jacks - 30 Reps, Knees to Chest, Butt Kicks




Circuit 1 - 1 Rotation of :30 and 1 Rotation of 1:00 for as many Repetitions as Possible


Push Press - 16 Reps w/ 40lb DBs for Round 1, 23 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 2
Sumo Squats - 19 Reps w/ 50lb DB for Round 1, 32 Reps w/ 50lb DB for Round 2
Cable Lat Pull down - 11 Reps w/ 60lb Each Arm for Round 1, 23 Reps w/ 35lb Each Arm for Round 2
DB Fly on Physio Ball - 14 Reps w/ 30lb DBs for Round 1, 31 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 2




Circuit 2 - 1 Rotation of :30 and 1 Rotation of 1:00 for as many Repetitions as Possible

KB Swing - 22 Reps w/ 35lb KB for Round 1, 40 Reps w/ 35lb KB for Round 2
Jumping Pull Ups - 10 Reps for Round 1, 13 Reps for Round 2
Close Grip Push Ups - 16 Reps for Round 1, 5 Reps on Toes and 17 Reps on Knees for Round 2
Straight Leg Dead lift - 12 Reps w/ 50lb DBs for Round 1, 20 Reps w/ 50lb DBs for Round 2




Core - 2 Rounds of 1 Minute for the Side Plank, 2 Rounds of 1 Minute for Bicycle Crunch w/ 30 seconds Fast and 30 Seconds Slow


Side Plank - 1 Minute Hold for Each Side
Bicycle Crunch - 31 Reps Each Side Fast and 6 Reps Each Side Slow for Round 1, 9 Reps Each Side Slow and 27 Reps Each Side Fast for Round 2

Wednesday 2/1/2012 - Taking the plunge into DETOX and CLEANSING!!!

After a solid 28 years of trying to avoid fads and trendy culture (or just not being cool enough to keep up with those things), I have decided to be more open minded.  After all, I'm getting old and don't want to be a curmudgeon all my life. 

I say that to say this... I have decided to try out this Detox thing.

As with the rest of the trends in the past, I have been dismissing the detox and cleansing trends for a while now.  Only recently have I had a spark of interest in the subject.  Detoxing has become a prominent practice in some circles of the health and fitness community but that wasn't quite enough to push me into action.  However, when I found out a few of my clients had either tried these things or are currently in the midst of a radical diet in order to detox or cleanse their bodies, interest had been sparked.

Quietly, I was a little perturbed, but unlike my previous self, I chose to embrace rather than dismiss.  Beyond that, I'm actively trying to better my own health and could us a little change up.  Anything gets  stagnant after a while, and I was excited to try something new in hopes of solid results.

Although I have been consistently losing weight, getting in better cardiovascular shape, and getting a little stronger, something has been off the past couple of weeks.  Besides the normal rigors of life with a family, a business, and 2 dogs, it has been a little extra stressful lately.  One of those dogs (who you know as my run buddy Clubber) has been destroying items in our house or the actual house itself on a regular basis.  This has been compounded by the fact we have received news that he also has some very expensive health issues.

Just like I'm sure you are saying right about now, I thought to myself "I need to stop whining!"  So I did. I stopped whining and found what is hopefully a solution.

I went about it a little different than I think most people would because I wanted something that I haven't seen or heard of before.  I'm not saying it doesn't exist or that I am doing something groundbreaking, but it surely isn't common or as popular.  My goal is to develop my own detox program that won't cause me to get sick, feel sluggish, lose muscle, spend all day in the bathroom, or have to stop working out so hard. 

All of the first recipes and actual programs I found would cause one of those problems to creep in.  Some are too low in calories (especially for larger people such as myself), some will run straight through you, some have no source of protein, some involve fasting and some can leave you open to weakened immune system.  Others just really don't sound like they would do much for me.  Then I thought, instead of looking at programs why don't I research the principals of a detox program and develop one that fits both those principles and my needs. 

I was reeled as soon as I read why a person should think about detoxing.  Some of the signs are anxiety (me), trouble sleeping (me), skin problems (me), fatigue (me), craving sugary or rich foods (not historically but recently me), sinus congestion (me), coughing, and poor elimination.  As you can see I almost had all of those covered, so I was pretty much convinced right there.  The next thing was to learn what the cleanse or detox actually does to or for your body.  They might have lost me if it started getting into impacted feces in the colon or some mistruth like that, but suprising to me, it has some pretty reasonable objectives.  The whole basis is to help the body's natural cleansing processes.  This is done by resting the organs; stimulating the liver; promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys, and skin; improving circulation of the blood; and refueling the body with healthy nutrients rather than preservatives and chemicals.

After that I was officially sold.  Now, here I am trying to figure out what would be the best way for you the reader, my clients, my friends, my family, and of course myself to conduct this type of diet.  I have learned a lot just by actually putting some time in and researching on my own, but I have not found something that put it all together for me.  That is what I will be keeping you posted on in the next few weeks (unless I can figure it out quicker).  I will gladly be the guinea pig and test everything out on myself for your gain.

In closing, I found out that detoxing and cleansing weren't these crazy, weird, hipster things that the unhealthy did to look cool in front of their friends.  Well, it can be that too, but at it's core it is kind of a reset button to help your body get back to functioning the way it should.  Most of the healthier programs I came across only last about 7-10 days and are used as just that, resets of your system.  All recommend contacting your health care provider before making any dramatic changes in your diet, especially if you currently have health issues.  I'm sure people have some questions and you should feel free to ask.  I may not know but I will surely find out... either through trial and error or some research.  Keep a look out everyday for a new post about my detox adventures.