The Minority Report

August 31, End of the month and it's time to do a report about what I achieved for august. I was so bored to go to the gym earlier this day. But I forced myself to go there so I could check whether or not I'm progressing in my biggest loser saga. The past 2 weeks, I have been lax on my diet and gym.

The last time I went to the gym was August 15. I really wanted to go to there but unfortunately I have to go to my derma to do the 2nd session for my warts removal and diamond peel. So I had fresh wounds on my face. I was scared that it would get infected by the sweat. Earlier this day I realize I have to. The main reason for me going to the gym was to get my weight. I've read an article stating that if you're on a diet and exercise you have to use the same weighing scale. I have a bathroom scale at home but the measurements are not precise. The rainy days is weighing me down. I was so sluggish it seems that all I wanted to do is sleep and eat. I was worried because I felt that I was gaining weight again. Then the moment of truth came, I stepped on the weighing scale. At first I tried to put on 225 on the meter and it didn't balance, put on 224, still unbalanced, then 223 still unbalance ... this is getting exciting then finally 222! IT BALANCED! I got 222 so that's another 3 lbs lost! I should be rejoicing but a part of me is saying that I could have lost more if I wasn't stubborn not to go to the gym and focus on the diet.

I'm going to tell a secret. This may be shocking, I feel that I'm turning into a bulimic. The last 2 weeks of August, when I eat a lot I would poke my throat so that all the food that I ate would come out. I feel this is unhealthy. I have to say it because some psychiatrist say that acceptance is the first step. So there, I'm Jex and I'm bulimic. I'm going to try to be a healthy eater again that's my pledge for September.
Here is the chart for the weight lost:


I needed motivation so I went to youtube and look for videos about the biggest loser contest. I stumbled upon the story of Jodie Prenger the winner of BIGGEST LOSER UK. It was so inspiring. I said to myself to focus more this sempter. On the first 7 weeks on the biggest loser camp, she lost a whopping 36lbs. If she can do it so can I. Below is the first video. Click on the second link for the continuation.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_-Y5wSib_o&mode=related&search=

For September, I will be focusing more and I hope I will lose more!

Reinvention Saga

"People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, , fitting in instead of standing out. "
- Warren G.Bennisa

"Are you ready to jump?" as the queen of reinvention Madonna said in her song "jump". This is the thought that is running in my mind while writing this blog. But come to think of it I have already jumped. Jumped into the idea of reinventing myself. hehehe You might be wondering why I am writing about this. I have read from an article that you have to write it down and announce it to your friends so that you have a motivation. That you will be under the scrutiny of other people.

These past few weeks a lot of my regular chatmates for some reason has disappeared from the circulation. Thus, I have nothing left to do. I decided to reinvent myself. I want to look good. Meaning I wanted to loose weight again. "Again", because I have tried so many times to loose weight but eventually failed. What's the difference now you might ask? Downelink has opened my eyes. Because a lot of the people in downelink looked really good and to get hooked you have to be an eyecandy. Funny but true. Light travels faster than sound ... where did that came from? hahaha. Some of them have inspired me to do my share. Two of the guys I have chatted here used to be overweight as in obese! But now they look really good eventhough they say they are still fat, you know who you are guys. Anorexics! Joking! Hehehe love you guys!

Anyway, I have started dieting and going to the gym last week of July. You might be wondering if there are any progress so far. Hmmm a brief history, My last attempt to lose weight started October 2006, and I stopped last February of 2007. From 260 I shed off 31 lounds, My Last weight was 228. I got frustrated because my weight lost went to a plateau meaning I was not losing weight anymore. I tried depriving myself, did all crazy diet stuff so that the weighing scale would move down. Then It went out of control, I got depressed and ate my regular comfort food, carbs and fats that is. Then My birthday came and I realized that another year has passed and still I haven't achieved my goal weight again which is 150lbs, Imagine I need to loose 110 lbs all in all, that's like a whole human being hehehe. Do you see my frustration? hehehe I decided to get with the program again. I checked my weight last week of July and I got 238 lbs, I gained 10 lbs, Ponyeta! Talk about yoyo dieting right? hehehe

I started to lessen my carbo intake, lessen the rice, lessen the breads, lessen the pastas ... all those good stuffs. It's really hard. There are even nights that I can't sleep. It's like withdrawal from drugs ... the difference is carbo, I need to do a study on that if carbo is addictive hehehe. I also did crazy shits just to jump start the weight lost, I won't elaborate on that. After a week I was able to manage to lessen my it, then I stop the carbo intake, talk about cold turkey! I shifted to meat and veggies. I ate all the meat and veggies that I want. I notice that the results were slow. I decided to lessen my food intake but did frequent eating. I notice that the weight lost walloped and I was getting the hang of it. I returned to the gym once or twice a week. I'll be increasing that slowly. I exercise by myself at home. My muscles hurts, I thought I never had them but turns out I'm not all fat hahaha. I'm feeling better now. I'm getting enough sleep and some of my clothes that I wore when I was 228 started to fit again.

I wanted to stop smoking but it's hard. I'll get through that, I'll think of a way.

I started to take care of my skin as part of the reinvention. I learned it from some of my downelink friends. A week ago I had warts removal for my face and neck. It was terribly painful! My skin has almost cleared except for this humongous wound on my nose, remnants of the wart removal. I can't help myself. I always scratch it and it always bleed. I was suppose to go back for checkup but I decided I would go back after the wound clears up. I'll be doing some peeling shits, maybe I'll elaborate it in my next blog.

Now for the good part. Yesterday (August 15), I went to the gym to attend a group exercise. I weighed myself and guess what? Drum roll please! I already lost 14 lbs! This weight lost is getting addictive. It entails a lot of hard work but it's part of the reinvention. Hopefully by November I have already reach 180 lbs and early next year I wish that I have reached my ultimate goal, the 150 lbs goal hehehe.

Breaking up workouts may burn fat faster

Breaking up an exercise session, by adding a rest period in between, may boost a workout's fat-burning efficiency, a team of Japanese and Danish researchers reports.
When men exercised for two 30-minute stretches, taking a 20-minute rest break in between, they burned more fat than when they exercised for a single 60-minute session, and then rested afterward, Dr. Kazushige Goto of the University of Tokyo and colleagues found.
Current recommendations on exercise for preventing or treating obesity emphasize longer exercise sessions, Goto and his team note in the Journal of Applied Physiology. But there is evidence that following one exercise session with another workout may increase fat metabolism, they add.
To investigate, the researchers had seven healthy men complete one long workout and then two shorter workouts on exercise bicycles, measuring several different indicators of fat metabolism. All exercised at 60 percent of their maximum level of exertion.
When the men performed the two shorter exercise sessions, their blood levels of free fatty acids and other substances rose during the rest period, indicating greater fat metabolism. Levels of these substances also were higher during an hour-long rest period after the two-part exercise session.
Greater fat metabolism was recorded during each of the rest periods in the two-part session than during the rest period following the single, longer workout.
The men also showed lower levels of insulin and blood glucose during the second phase of the two-part exercise session.
While the proportion of total calories burned did not differ between the two workouts, fat represented nearly 77 percent of the calories burned in the recovery period after the two-part exercise session, compared with about 56 percent of calories burned in the recovery period after the single long exercise session.
Although a single bout of prolonged exercise is often performed in response to a physician's advice to exercise more, exercising for the same amount of time but with rest periods in between may be more effective, especially for sedentary or overweight individuals, the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Applied Physiology, June 2007.