Excercise - Oct 2, 2010 2:32 PM on 10/02/2010

Bike ride. Click on link to see complete route info.Total Distance:9.61 mi.

MapMyFitness.com View IMapMyFitness: Oct 2, 2010 2:32 PM in Absecon, New Jersey

To fast or not is the question!

You hear the pro & cons of fasting, but that’s how the rich people do it. In 1988 when I was actually 100 ibs lighter, I went on a 80 plus day fast. There wasn’t any caloric intake at all. Every day, I just drank water. My pee was clear. Maybe early on I had an image problem with my body because I would love to be what I weighed before I started the fast.

I ended up weighing 138. I was happy. People thought I was sick. Some even thought I must have been on crack. Only because they knew me figured I wasn’t on anything. But I was happy being skinny. The same Spanish speaking people who were saying “Papi never do that again” are now saying “Mucho Gordo”!

After I tried to stop, I became anorexic. I would attempt to eat but couldn’t. Finally one day, I broke the fast and now here I am!

Below is an article that was on MSNC’s website.

Why you shouldn't detox like Demi (or eat like Gwyneth)

Twitter, blogs make it easy to follow the weird diet habits of the slim and famous

These days it’s not enough to dress and get plastic surgery like a celebrity. We have to eat like one, too.

With Twitter, blogs and Facebook it’s easier than ever to find out first-hand how you can graze like Gwyneth or detox like Demi.

Nearly every celeb from Jessica Simpson to Kirstie Alley seems unable to keep their  scary diet tricks to themselves. Megan Fox downs vinegar shots to slim down. Kim and Khloe Kardashian “cleanse” with diet drinks they’re also selling. Even Salma Hayek has jumped on the cleanse bandwagon as a co-owner of a detox delivery program called Cooler Cleanse.

It’s one thing to buy the same mascara Megan Fox wears, but quite another to imitate her (non-) eating habits. Fact is, few celebrity diets are worth following.

“Celebrities are great role models but they’re not acting the part when it comes to healthy eating behaviors,“ said registered dietitian Keri Gans, a New York spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Actress, former Jenny Craig spokesperson and BMI punchline Alley is now using Twitter to promote her "Organic Liaison" weight-loss program, a line of supplements, meal plans and online tools. "I've lost over 50 lbs...and I'm having the time of my of my life...30 more to gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," she recently tweeted.

Jessica Simpson told her nearly 3 million Twitter followers earlier this summer how she “shocked her system” with an extreme vegan regimen. She also tweeted about her devotion to a program called Total Vitality, “that has nothing to do with weight,” she said.  “It is understanding my body through hydration and alkalinity.”

Sounds like it takes homeopathic herbal formulas, hands-on treatments and an awful lot of Chinese tea — the formula for the "Total Vitality" diet — for Jessica to understand how her body works
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher recently boasted about their joint efforts with the “Master Cleanse” to their millions of Twitter fans. Really? That lemonade diet scam has long been debunked for its near starvation level fasting.
 It seems Demi barely made it four days before abandoning the strict regimen of maple syrup, lemon water and cayenne pepper. But then she had to ward off criticism when she tweeted that she’s now embracing “The Clean Program” – a 21-day detox diet that was created by New York doctor Alejandro Junger, who sells a $350 detox kit online and Facebook.

The program, which requires two shakes a day in place of real food. “There is no starving involved! It is all about nourishing the body!” she tweeted.

1. 
   
   Sure, Demi looks great. But juicing instead of eating can simply slow the metabolism and set you up for gaining even more weight once the detox is done. The diet can also deprive you of vital nutrients.

Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow about extreme dieting. After ditching her macrobiotic diet, she’s now a supporter of the “Clean” detox program and has  been spreading the word on her blog, GOOP.

“I feel pure and happy and much lighter (I dropped the extra pounds that I had gained during a majorly fun and delicious ‘relax and enjoy’ life phase about a month ago)… This thing is amazing. And don’t forget to ask your doctor if a cleanse is right for you.”

Yes, don’t forget to ask your doctor. Did she follow her own advice? It’s possible a lifetime of restrictive diets are linked to her recent diagnosis of osteopenia (loss of bone mass). After having her vitamin D levels tested, doctors found that it was “the lowest they had ever seen,” she wrote on her blog.
 Gwyneth may be an Oscar-winning actress, but she shouldn’t be dispensing nutrition advice.
It’s easy to be fooled by slim, beautiful actresses who appear to shed pounds as easily as breathing. But their eating regimens are nearly always unnecessarily restrictive. Nutrient deficiencies along with muscle and bone loss are among the risks.

And worse, what works for a relatively young, healthy celebs could be disastrous for anyone with a medical condition, Gans said.

Snooki's cookies
Then there’s the “cookie diet” that “Jersey Shore’s” Snooki hawked over the summer. There are at least three different cookie brands that claim their mix of protein and nutrients are reasonable meal substitutes. Snooki says she's been on the diet for "awhile" and wants to lose 10 pounds. Is it working?  You judge.
We may have an insatiable appetite for the eating styles of the slim and famous, but don’t be swayed by the tweets, blogs or promotions of a dieting celeb. You don’t know how much extra support (like personal trainers or private chefs) they've had to help them stay trim.
 Janet Helm, R.D., is a myth-busting registered dietitian in Chicago and author of NutritionUnplugged.com

Excercise - Oct 1, 2010 4:45 PM on 10/01/2010

Tilton Gym workout.

Avoiding social gatherings.

Even when I was slim and trim, I tried to avoid social gatherings that involved food. The big examples are Thanksgiving and Christmas. On these 2 holidays we lose all concept of portion control! It’s hard, especially when everything is served like Old Country buffet. It’s easy to see just eat a little, but when there are 50 hot and cold food items including desserts that’s 50 small portions!

People don’t respect you trying to modify your eating habits. Unless you are around like minded people, it is very hard. It would be like a person trying to become a vegetarian going to a traditional barbeque. Meat is a staple including ribs, hamburgers and hot dogs.

So for me until I get all those things out of my system, I prefer not to attend.

Lose Weight Easily - 8 Tips To Take The Weight Off Without Dieting

Of course it is easier said than done! Here it is the 1st and as usual I start a new diet. Now being in the public eye, let's see how motivating this can be. Below is something I tweeted yesterday.

"DIET!" This is the four letter word that we all hate. It involves crazy restrictions, counting calories, following plans that are often too hard to stick to, and feeling guilty when we fail to succeed. Well I am here to tell you can lose weight without dieting. Below are 8 tips that you can use to kick-start your weight loss. These are not difficult tips and can easily be incorporated into your life immediately.

1. Water, Water, Water - A glass of water before a meal will make you feel full faster and prevent you from overeating.

2. Exercise is key - Burning calories is important. Make sure you are following a workout routine and stick to it. Weight training is vital since muscles burn more calories than fat and work even while we are at rest.

3. Being hungry should always be avoided - Eat 6 small meals a day. You should be constantly eating in order to avoid being hungry. We tend to overeat when we are really hungry. Eat something light and filling for snacks such as an apple, carrots, or cucumbers.

4. Half is better than whole - Watch your portions. Many times we eat much more than we need to satisfy hunger. This is especially true when eating out. Restaurants often give you more than one portion of food. When eating out, split your plate in half as soon as it arrives at the table. Better yet, tell the waiter to take half away and pack it in a doggie bag to take home before he brings the food to the table so you don't even see it. At home, eat on smaller plates. This will force you to take a smaller portion. You will need to think before eating more. Often times you will feel that a second trip is unnecessary.

5. Go back to basics - Chew your food - Your mom always told you to chew your food when you were younger. Remember those times! Take small bites and chew slowly. Not only will it cause you to feel fuller faster and in turn consume fewer calories, but you will also savor your food much more. Enjoy some conversation with your dinner. Put your fork down between bites and take a drink.

6. Don't like it...Don't eat it - Sometime we force ourselves to eat everything that is on our plate, even if we aren't enjoying it as much. Don't worry, your mom isn't watching you. Don't waste the calories on something you don't like when you can use them for something else that you love.

7. Starters can help - Start with a soup or salad. These are lower calorie options that are enjoyable and can help you eat less of the main meal. Beware of high calorie dressing though.

8. Pay attention to signals - When you feel full, STOP eating!! Often times we ignore those signals that tell us that we are no longer hungry. This causes us to feel horrible and over stuffed after we have eaten. Pay attention to the signals and stop eating as soon as you are no longer hungry.

New Ambulance for obese patients.

Plymouth Ambulance has become the first squad in Montgomery County — and one of just a handful across Pennsylvania — to add a “bariatric” ambulance to its fleet to safely transport patients who are obese.

This year alone, the squad has transported nearly 100 patients weighing in excess of 300 pounds. They say that puts a strain on the men and women who respond to those calls and on the equipment they use to transport the patient.

Plymouth Ambulance chief of operations Thomas Trojansky says this new vehicle is designed to carry a patient weighing up to 1,600 lbs.:

“It has a ramp system on it with a winch, which helps load patients when there’s just a dual provider crew. Cost is a little bit more, but in the long run that cost should be balanced out by man-hours saved through back injuries and wear and tear on equipment.”

The unit costs about $120,000. It will be in service in Plymouth’s 42-square-mile coverage area, and they will make it available to their sister ambulance squads in Montgomery County.

Failure In Losing Weight? - Some Mistakes You May Not Know

Below are some interesting facts I tweeted this morning. The first on is one of my biggest problems. During the week I average only 20 hours of sleep.

You really want to loss weight. After following many fat burning tips, nothing happened. Your weight still increases. There are some mistake you may do not know, let's find out below.

Do not sleep enough
Sleeplessness may lead the amount of protein in your fat to decrease but make ghrelin increase. Ghrelin is the hormone which is considered to be related to your craving for food. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals.

Some people believed that the more you stay awake the more calories are burnt. However scientist showed that 65% calorie are burnt when you are sleeping. So that if you want to lose weight let's maintain 8 hours sleeping per day combination with relaxing in moderation.

Gene
Researchers proved that our genes are directly related to Body mass index (BMI). If somebody in your family's generation has been obesity you would be easier overweight. People who have obesity gene lose weight more difficulty than other, obviously. The best thing is to obey closely weight loss diet plans, motivation, relaxing under guiding of your coach.

To be infected by chemical
We do not know that there are many synthetic chemicals which are entered our body everyday. Abuse of chemicals in food-processing, smoking, or living in polluted environment are the main reasons of such situation. They make your metabolism (absorption and excretion) be disorder. To eliminate these chemicals, you should supply vegetables especially vegetables contain fiber.

Use medicine uncontrollable
Some types of medicine make you gain weight after using them almost are contraceptive, tranquilizer... Using these medicines uncontrollable may be the mistake lead to your failure in losing weight.

Are you over age 35?
The American scientist show that metabolism and the amount of women's hormone are changed after age 35, especially in some developed countries like England, America... 12% such women have a risk of obesity.

Weak thyroid gland
The consumption of calorie of people who have weak thyroid gland less than normal one. So the result is that though they have join in some weight loss programs their weight is still kept intact.
Tokens of weak thyroid gland are dried skin, peeled skin, headache, tired... You should go to hospital if you have these tokens.

Good absorption
Somebody absorb nutrition better than other however they eat the same food. For this reason, nutrition absorbed in your body does not decrease though you reduce eating. Your best fat burning tips is make your own bodybuilding diet plan and control caloric absorption by counting calorie diary.

Stress
Stress causes your weight to increase rapidly. When you are stress, the amount of some hormones raise immediately and your metabolism are changed. Some research showed that men who are stress are thinned down. Contrary to men, woman often gain weight when they are stressed. Happiness makes you motivate to loss weight; but when you are tired, stress, working under high pressure, you do not have will to follow your diet plan anymore. In such condition, do not use medicine to reduce stress, they may make you gain weight. Let's see the doctor and give advises from them.

Ovarian cyst
40% women who have Ovarian cyst also gain weight. If you are overweight and also have some symptoms like dull aching, or severe, sudden, and sharp pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen (one or both sides), pelvis, vagina, lower back, or thighs; pain may be constant or intermittent you should see doctors soon.

Excercise - Sep 29, 2010 5:00 PM on 09/29/2010

Due to me having to go to a meeting,I couldn't do anything real serious. So I got in 50 dumbbell curls.

Self-Esteem

I never considered myself as a person that had low self-esteem. However, I do avoid situations where if I’m feeling fat I don’t go. This could be at work, out in public or even at family events.  What I’m wearing that particular day, might also dictate where I go or who sees me.

There have been times where I will just cancel going to an event if I can’t find something what I call is weight appropriate to wear. What is weight appropriate?  To me it’s wearing something that hides the fat. As I stated before wearing shirts that aren’t tucked in and baggier pants.

This past New Year’s Eve I purchased a decent suit. It was a 3-piece, thought I was Sharp! After seeing pictures, I was flabbergasted! It looked like this huge person, with a small head. Of course with Facebook the pictures were posted in the public eye.

I try to avoid taking pictures now.  Does that mean I have low self-esteem?  No, I just refuse to embrace the fatness.

The best part about all this is that you will be able to see a before and after. It motivates me to see both the numbers decrease and the pictures change.

My injuries

For the most part, I have been injury free. No broken bones, etc. In 1994, I tore my patellar tendon in the left leg. I was playing basketball. The patellar tendon connects the kneecap (the patella) to the shin bone.

I had to have surgery the same night and they had to cut my leg open to repair. Recovery included being in a brace and physical therapy.

After I recuperated I continued to play hard. Inline skating, basketball, biking, etc. The weight stayed off.  2006 I tore the one on the right side, doing boxing exercises.  This time was different. Now I didn’t fell invincible.  After recovering and still to this day I won’t jump and really just starting running a little. Of course this has affected weight loss, because the intensity is not there like before.

As you will see when I post my exercise journals, I am trying to increase the intensity of my workouts.

 

 

 

The Risks & Dangers Of Excess Belly Fat-Secret Revealed

5 Motives Your Belly Fat Can be Unsafe

Belly fat could be unpleasant, but it can also be hazardous. Cosmetics aside, you'll find lots of causes to slim down and lose the unwanted fat all around your abdomen.

Having as well very much belly fat can lead to numerous different illnesses, since it contains a whole lot of blood vessels that secrete hormones. Some of these hormones is often toxic. The extra fat you've close to your midsection, the much more toxic hormones which are becoming released. Those hormones may also direct to inflammation approximately your system.

The following are a list of the largest dangers lurking behind a fat belly:

1. It may lead to diabetes

Fat around the belly is visceral fat, which implies it is saved deep inside your entire body, rather than just underneath the skin. Visceral fat is probably the most risky kind of fat. Because it stored so deep, belly fat can wrap itself close to your organs. If that takes place, it can block insulin from obtaining all around, which raises your blood sugar. The end outcome? Diabetes.

2. It might can result in most cancers

Insulin is not just responsible for diabetes. Belly fat causes your physique to create far more insulin. The extra insulin you may have, the more cells it creates. If you've got too several cells being developed, it may possibly trigger cancer.

When you've got extra belly fat, it drains directly into the liver, which may make you far more susceptible to liver cancer. Also, analysis shows that you simply are more probable to have recurring liver cancer if you have belly fat.

If fat wraps itself approximately your colon, it might inflame your colon, which leads to colon most cancers.

Fat around the belly region could also affect the estrogen levels in women's bodies. Abnormal estrogen ranges can guide to breast most cancers.

Studies say excessive fat round the belly region may trigger pancreatic and uterine cancer malignancy.

3. It might can cause cardiovascular system disease

That spare tire approximately several a person's waist has been linked to a hardening of your arteries, which leaves you vulnerable to suffering a heart attack. And that's not all. This unsightly fat can also result in a build-up in your arteries. If you're arteries are clogged, your coronary heart does not get enough blood, which can guide to a coronary heart attack or stroke.

4. It might can lead to dementia

There is also a correlation involving belly fat and dementia. In truth if this is you then you are three occasions a lot more possible to be diagnosed with dementia, which includes Alzheimer's, in later years.

5. It might can result in migraines

One landmark study discovered that there's a link amongst belly fat and migraines. In truth, men and women among the ages of 20 and 55 are far more probable to suffer from migraines, if they have unwanted fat round the midsection. There is no proof that losing your belly fat will remedy your migraines, but slimming down could guide to fewer headaches.

EMBARRASED!

When I thought about doing this blog and video the other day, I was very excited. I spent the day setting up all my accounts and making the video. After posting the video and looking at the picture I became disgusted with myself. I initially wanted to share this with family and friends but now was more embarrassed to even do that.

 

Why would I be embarrassed to let family and friends see it, but open to let public see it? Because my family and friends knew me when I didn’t have a stomach. It is different with strangers, they don’t know where I was. It’s easier when you meet someone for the first time, they just see you as you are. With people that know you now you hear comments like “You sure are fat”, “Wow”, “What happened, “You used to be skinny” and on and on.

 

Even at my age, those comments bother me. I could be content and embrace my weight. But I refuse. I loved the way I looked when I was smaller. My clothes fit me differently. I never wear my shirts tucked in because of the way it looks. Summer shirts generally are polos and winter a lot of sweaters. I refuse to embrace the fatness as I call it.

Watch me as I transform. Thank you in advance for the support.

What is BMI?

I talk about what my BMI is but some people don't know what it means.

Definitions of BMI: body mass index: a measure of someone's weight in relation to height; to calculate one's BMI, multiply one's weight in pounds and divide that by the square of one's height in inches; overweight is a BMI greater than 25; obese is a BMI greater than 30.
 
As I stated before my BMI is over 30 which makes me fall into the category of being obese. We  focus more  on how much we weigh not knowing our BMI score.

Official Me Stomach video

Excercise - Sep 28, 2010 6:11 AM on 09/28/2010

Pleasantville track this morning. Click on link to see complete route info.
Total Distance:
2.59 mi.
MapMyFitness.com - Regular Walk: iMapMyFitness: Sep 28, 2010 6:11 AM on 09/28/2010

My Health

I was born with high blood pressure and have been on medication for it since I was 17. My recent A1C test was a 6.0 and my cholesterol levels are excellent.

Excess belly fat around your mid section and a large waist line could be putting your health at risk. Numerous health risks such as heart failures, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and even increased mortality risks have been attributed to belly fat.

It's my goal to not be a casualty.

Stomach History

I wasn’t always OBESE as the BMI charts say! I always maintained an ideal weight. Even as I got older I didn’t start gaining until I was in my late 30’s. Magically the pounds came and now here I am struggling to get back to that magic number!

I’m going to share with you my journey. I will update you on my BMI number and my exercise activities.