Free Protein Shake Recipes Site Completed!!

IT’S HERE! I have finally completed the design on my new website for protein shake recipes entitled “Free Protein Shake Recipes”. I have provided the website address below. Let me know what you think. Also, keep your fingers crossed for my appointment next week. I still have hope I will reach my goal.

http://freeproteinshakerecipes.com

Hell Month - Final Posting

Listed below is some interesting information that was given to me at work. I thought I would share it. As for Hell Month, I will not be posting any more posts until my next doctor visit. I want to spend my time focusing on my new site because I think it will be far more beneficial to people than my blogs. I wish you all the best! ~Edd~

Fast Guide to Fats
Is dietary fat bad for you? Actually, fat is an important part of every cell in your body, and it contributes to healthy hair and skin. But fat has more than double the calories of protein or carbohydrates, so a little goes a long way. Here’s a quick summary of the American Heart Association’s recommendations:

Trans fats. Often listed on labels as "partially hydrogenated," these fats are found in some baked goods, snacks, margarines and especially fried foods. Trans fats contribute to clogged arteries, so eat as little as possible or avoid them altogether.

Saturated fats. These fats are found in meat and dairy products, as well as palm and coconut oils. Try to limit them to 7 percent of your total calories, since saturated fat is a major factor in unhealthy cholesterol.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The best sources of these heart-healthy fats include olive oil, canola oil, avocados and nuts. The omega-3 fatty acids, a special type of polyunsaturated fat found in fish such as salmon and herring, are especially good for your heart.

The bottom line: Try to keep your fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of your total calories. If you stick to mostly mono- and polyunsaturated fats, you’ll be doing your heart a big favor.

Watch Those Liquid Calories
A recent study found that people get 22 percent of their calories from beverages and that people who drink beverages with calories tend to eat more. TIP: If you’re trying to lose weight, choose sugar-free beverages or water, which has zero calories.

4 Quick At-Work Exercises
Our bodies are designed to move, so sitting or standing in one place all day can make you ache. What can you do? Use brief breaks for some simple moves that can bring relief. You can stretch between phone calls, while your computer is loading a file or between tasks. Just 5 minutes of movement per hour will help you feel more calm and productive. Get going with these ideas:

Stretch. Relieve tension and stiffness with some stretching. Try this one: Lift your shoulders toward your ears, then rotate them backwards and down. For other exercises, click on "Musculoskeletal System" at http://dohs.ors.od.nih.gov/exercises.htm.

Pump it up. Exercise your heart by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Go for a quick walk instead of a coffee break.

Build strength. Work your muscles with filled water bottles or resistance bands. While seated and reading e-mails, place one foot on the floor and raise the opposite leg several inches. Gently move the leg up and down a few inches. Do this 10-20 times and then repeat with the opposite leg.

Strike a pose. Yoga builds flexibility and strength. While sitting, gently turn your head to the side and your torso to the opposite side, then hold for a few seconds. Try other poses from "Free Yoga Lesson" at http://www.americanyogaassociation.org/contents.html. Aim to loosen your neck and shoulders every 20 minutes and walk or stretch every 40 minutes. And try to fit in a regular exercise routine most days of the week.

Hell Month - Week 2

This has been an interesting week for me. I am tired from work and depressed. I had planned on launching my new protein shake recipes site this weekend, but my new roommate killed that plan because I ended up helping him move from one coast of Florida to the other. It was a good experience and helped me get out of my funk, plus the exercise was really nice. It also kept me from eating this weekend because we were hanging out and moving almost all day Saturday and didn’t get in until 6:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, so I have slept most of today away. I have posted my meals below, minus Friday because I forgot to write it down.

Next week should be interesting. I am going to try and cut back on the TV dinners and do my own cooking. I am also going to try and start jogging/running instead of just walking. I will try to post some cool and interesting facts on Wednesday. I am also going to try and make some time to beginning working on my new site.

BTW - One of the things you cannot have after you have this surgery is gum, which I love, so I am trying to substitute mints for it. So far it is going okay.


Monday – 03/10/08

Food (778 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
York Mints – 2 total (6 calories)
Altoids – 3 total (10 calories)
Lean Cuisine Salmon with basil (220 calories)
Homemade Salad (350 calories)
Watermelon (92 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (10 calories)

Exercise - 3 miles walking


Tuesday – 03/11/08

Food (1452 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Pure Protein Bar (190 calories)
York Mints – 2 total (6 calories)
Hard Candy – 5 total (25 calories)
Chili – 1 cup (389 calories) (BAD)
Grilled Chicken Salad – (277 calories)
Stew – 1 bowl (475 calories) (BAD)

Exercise - None


Wednesday – 03/12/08

Food (1306 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Chicken and Rice Soup (200 calories)
Chicken Alfredo – Lunch (498 calories)
Chicken Alfredo – Dinner (498 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)

Exercise - None


Thursday – 03/13/08

Food (880 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Dark Chocolate Candy (130 calories)
Weight Watchers: Smart Ones – Lasagna (300 calories)
Homemade Salad (350 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (10 calories)

Exercise – 1 Mile Walking/Jog/Running


Friday – 03/14/08

My bad, I forgot to log stuff for this day.


Saturday – 03/13/08

Food (509 calories)
Chicken Breast – (211 calories)
Broccoli – (98 calories)
Ice Cream – (180 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)

Exercise – Helping roomie move from coast to coast.


Sunday – 03/13/08

Food (599 calories)
Chicken Breast – (211 calories)
Broccoli – (98 calories)
Ice Cream – (260 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (30 calories)

Exercise – None

Hell Month - Plateau

It seems I have reached another plateau. I am okay with not losing weight because I am losing inches. I slide down another belt hole this week, which makes me happy. I have also been doing some research on-line and found two cool sites (which I will list at the very bottom). In one of the sites is provided the following:

The Perils of Plateaus

Every once in a while, you just stop losing weight. Try as you might, a week passes by, maybe two, but the needles on your scale is simply stuck. You're on a plateau. Being on a plateau is like, pulling your car off the road, on your way down the mountain, and stopping to take a look. Please look back at the peak, to see how far you've come in your journey. Take a breather, sit and enjoy, and recognize that you will get started back on your journey down the mountain, with time.

It's important to note that, often, while you may not be losing weight, you may still be losing inches. If your overall goal is better health and better looks, that's still a good thing. Overall inches may help you squeeze into the next dress size!

Plateaus seem to happen when your body has finally gotten used to the new regime. It moves to compensate for the lower calorie intake by slowing down a notch, and reducing your fat loss. Experience from numerous people suggests that the best to break a plateau is to do something different, such as, up your calories a couple hundred, or add some more exercise to your regime. Something different that forces your body to react differently. One tried and true method is to alternative your calorie intake, such as, going up a little for a day or two, and then going back to where you were.

I am going to see how this works and flex my daily intake of calories. If I wasn’t so damn drained from work, I would just increase my exercises. Anyways, I hope this works. Time will tell. BTW…if you have any protein shake recipes you wish to share, send them my way. I will be creating a new website this weekend that contains over 200 free protein shake recipes. Also, I will have a new posting this Sunday! Have a good night! ~Edd~

Cool Sites:

Calorie Counter Database: http://www.calorie-count.com/
The World’s Healthiest Foods: http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Hell Month - Week 1

As promised, I am posting some information on my progress. This was a bad week for me. I found out my former roommate ran up a $713 cable bill on me, in addition to him leaving without paying the rent. I am also covering two jobs (for seven weeks) while my co-worker is out having surgery. So like everyone else I am having the money and family issues. I think despite all of this crap, I will succeed. I did not get out and exercise as much as I wanted due to the rains, but I will do better this week. Plus, I need to budget my time correctly so I don’t have to get milkshakes for lunch due to lake of time. It is odd because I never really cared for them before the surgery. BTW…thanks Paula for sharing your quotes. Mine at the moment makes me laugh and helps keep me grounded. My favorite quote: Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most!" Listed below is how I did this week:

Monday – 03/03/08

Food (895 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Altoids – 5 total (15 calories)
York Mints – 3 total (10 calories)
Weight Watchers: Smart Ones – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (310 calories)
Chocolate Milk – 2 cups (240 calories)
Weight Watchers: Smart Ones – Slow Roasted Turkey Breast (210 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)

Exercise
3 miles walking
25 jumping jacks
50 crunches
30 reps - Pectoral Fly
30 reps – Flat Bench Press
30 reps – Leg Extensions


Tuesday – 03/04/08

Food (1100 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Lean Cuisine Chicken & Vegetables (230 calories)
York Mints – 6 total (20 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)
Pizza – (740 calories) (NOT GOOD)

Exercise - None


Wednesday – 03/05/08

Food (1070 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Lean Cuisine Beef Portabella (220 calories)
York Mints – 3 total (10 calories)
Altoids – 3 total (10 calories)
Chocolate Milk – 2 cups (240 calories)
Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey Breast – (260 calories)
Campbell’s Select – Chicken with Egg Noodles – (220)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)

Exercise - 3 miles walking


Thursday – 03/06/08

Food (1600 calories)
Two Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (180 calories)
Milkshake (1110 calories) (VERY BAD)
Weight Watchers: Smart Ones – Lasagna (300 calories)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (10 calories)

Exercise - None


Friday – 03/07/08

Food (1336 calories)
Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (90 calories)
Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad (337 calories)
Milkshake (889 calories) (VERY BAD)
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)
Greek Salad (calories – Not Sure)

Exercise - None


Saturday – 03/08/08

Food (Too many calories)
I had to go to my parents, which is where I eats tons of bad stuff. I am not every going to list what I did on this day.

Exercise - None


Sunday – 03/09/08

Food (Not Sure calories)
Smoked Sausage with Bar-B-Q sauce
Diet V8 Splash Berry Blend – (20 calories)
Greek Salad (calories – Not Sure)

Exercise - None

Hell Month

I would like to take the time to say thank-you to everyone who has read my blogs!

This has not been an easy process for me. I would advise anyone thinking of having lap-band surgery to have a very good support system in place. At times, I do regret not having this support system. My lack of a support system has made it harder to get over some of the bumps in the road and there is not as much encouragement. However, because of this I feel I have had to push myself harder to get where I need to be today and I am really determined to reach my goals. It may take me longer then someone with a support system, but I will do it. I do not encourage this approach on anyone; I can deal with it because I have had some really bad stuff happen to me in the past that I would not wish on anyone and I think that it has helped prepare me for this new journey.

I would also like to apologize for not posting more often. I will try to do more in the future, but it seems about once a month is average for me. I think this month will be different for me because I am calling it Hell Month! What is Hell Month; well it is just another test to see if I can reach another one of my goals. As you may know, my goal for the end of February was to lose 10 pounds, which should have been easy, but I had a lot of unusual drama occur that distracted me from my goal. It appears I only lost 5 pounds, which honestly is not bad and I am happy to have a loss.

So, let me tell you about Hell Month. What does Hell Month mean to me? It is a test to see if I can lose at least 10 pounds this month and reach the 240’s, something I don’t remember ever being in my life. I don’t know about you, but for me, I really don’t remember the phase from skinny to fat, all I remember is being heavy, so if I reach this goal I will not know what to think. If I do reach the goal, I plan on buying an annual pass to Busch Gardens and riding the roller coasters as much as I want without having to even think about if I will fit or not. I think it might be a really nice escape and a good reward. It is always good to set goals and reward yourself during any process.

What is going to happen during Hell Month? Well, it is called “Hell Month” because I am going to start writing down what I eat and watching the calories (at least the best I can) and I will be increasing my exercises almost 100 percent. I have no clue if I will succeed since I already know there are road blocks ahead of me, but I sure in the hell am going to try. I hope you will follow me during my journey and gives comments. In fact, I would love it if you send me one (or more) of your quotes that help give you encouragement. I will write some down too and post them to remind me of my goal.

Throughout this month (probably each weekend), I will post the information I collect so you can see my ups and downs and where I slip (which also adds to the pressure of it being “Hell Month”). Hell, I will even post some of the “bumps in the road” I have to faced too, which might help me figure out a way to eliminate some of it. This test might be interesting because if I don’t eat enough the body could hold weight and if I eat too much then I might gain or in some cases loses (the body is funny like that sometimes). Also, if I don’t work out enough I might not have a loss, but if I work out too much I might have a gain (muscle weighs more the fat). I guess this month will be very interesting, let me know what you think and we will all find out if I succeed when I go in to see the doctor on April 2nd for my next weigh-in. Keep those fingers crossed that I reach the 240’s!

Until next weekend – STAY HEALTHY AND THINK POSITIVE! ~Edd~