Getting myself in shape

An Update after eternity

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:25:00 +0000

I am done with Phase 2 of the 20-20 program. During phase 2, my minimum weight was 145.8. My exit weight was 147. In the last 2 months, my weight has been with 2.5 lbs of 147.

I have a red-line number of 152. If ever, I touch 152, I will take drastic steps to get back into the ideal weight.

In the past few months, I have started swimming and hiking. I visited Zion and Bryce Canyons in Utah and did some amazing hikes there.

This is Angel’s landing that we climbed.

This is the view from the top (Notice the white bus on the red road – tells you how high we were)

This is in Bryce Canyon – Navajo Trail.

This is Bryce Canyon’s Amphitheater (full of hoodoos).

Well, now that the program has ended and I am about 40 lbs lighter than when I started. I am eating just about everything. In fact, I have been pigging out. There were a couple of weeks when work was too much and I could not even work-out. But, I have been keeping up with my steps and averaging more than 10,000 steps a day. That NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) has helped me maintain my weight. In the end of the program, I started training with free weights. I now have a new ward-robe.

While I happy about the weight loss, I am a bit sad that I let my work take over my life in the past few weeks. I am reading a few books to help me out on that.

New Goals!

I have decided to set a few more goals for myself

Do a 60-mi bicycle ride around Lake Washington in the next 2 months
Lose some more weight and reach 140lbs in the next 3 months. Then, I want to maintain that weight for the foreseeable future.
Learn and practice some form of meditation. Read a great book on Zen – Loved it!

More in next. I plan to start posting more frequently again.

Before and after phase 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:06:00 +0000

I have been very very busy at work and therefore no posts the past few weeks. I am at 151.6 as of this morning. I have been losing 1-2 lbs every week. I am eating limited amounts of all kinds of food. I have had rice, pizza, cakes, decaf cappuccinos, pastries, muruku…

My medical tests show that I have made dramatic improvements in many fronts. Some are noted below

	%age	Notes
BMI	-17%	good, still overweight by BMI standards
Glucose (mg/dl)	-5%	good, this was ok anyway
Cholesterol (mg/dl)	-24%	great
Triglycerides (mg/dl)	-49%	great
HDL (Good Chol.) (mg/dl)	-9%	Not good, this went the wrong way, See Note 1.
LDL (Bad Chol.) (mg/dl)	-23%	great
LDL/HDL	-18%	good
Cholestorol/HDL	-16%	good
Body Age	-27%	Hmmm - I feel younger but not 14 years
Bicep Strength	+4%	Bad, See Note 2
Flexibility	-27%	Bad, See Note 3
Waist (not trouser size) (in)	-12%	Good, I can actually now fit in waist 30 jeans
Thigh girth (in)	-13%	Good and funny
Neck girth (in)	-11%	Good, see picture :)

(1) My good cholesterol is down. I am increasing Flax Seed oil consumption to 1 tbsp. per day from 0.66 tbsp per day
(2) My overall body strength has more than doubled but biceps is something we chose not to focus on. Now, we start that in phase 2.
(3) I really suck at flexibility – I need to do more stretching/yoga. It could make me live longer and also less prone to injury. The test is not super accurate, but I will take it for what it says. Started stretching more methodically now.

And here are some pictures! (I did my best to make the pictures comparable)

End of Phase 1 – Lost 1.2 lbs again this week @ 156.0 now

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:51:00 +0000

As I had mentioned earlier, there are 2 phases to the 20-20 program. In Phase 1, one gets

1 Dietician Appointment a week
3 Physical Trainer Sessions a week
1 Psychologist or Counselor Appointment per month
1 Doctor visit at start, middle and end of Phase 1.

In Phase 2, I get a little less hand-holding but still quite some support

1 Dietician Appointment once in 2 weeks
2 Physical Trainer Sessions a week
1 Psychologist or Counselor Appointment
1 Doctor visit at middle and end of Phase 2.

I am 156.0 despite some intense dieting, increase NEAT (walking) and good quality work outs. I truly put my heart into it this week but did not lose as much as I had hoped. I am thankful that I still lost some weight.

Here’s what I am planning on changing up the coming week

Take 2 days rest in a week instead of 1 days rest. (Apparently, cortisol levels go high when you don’t take a break).
Eat Veggies, then protein and then carbs in any meal. This helps ensure that the carbs are coated and are released slower.
Reduce work-load at work
Get more sleep (I am getting 7-7.5 hours now)
Add potatoes and peas this week – I was allowed to eat this last week but never had the carb budget to fit it in.

I moved to my new office this week. I have been very busy at work (working late quite often). I was away from home for about 13 hours on average. Though, I handle stress well now, it’s possible that it is contributing to slower weight loss as well.

This is not truly the end of phase 1. I still have a few work-out sessions and some medical tests to get done.

I really need to get new clothes – I can barely find any dress that fits well. I am debating if I should start my new wardrobe now or wait till a few more weeks. Maybe, I will just buy a couple of trousers for now and hold on the big expenses for later.

Kinda busy so I will stop now. Good Luck!

Week 12 – still some progress (just 1.2 lbs down this week)

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:56:00 +0000

A fairly uneventful week, this one. My knee is not back to a 100% and so the exercises have been of low intensity and more focused on the upper body. Apparently, the body tries to convince you to move less to compensate for injuries. I started doing pull-ups and can’t even do 1 unassisted. I can do a lot more with 96 lbs of support. We have these machines where the machine provides you some support and you put in that much lesser effort. With time, you start reducing the support. I love this machine and plan to add it to my daily routines.

Given the decrease in work-out intensity, I have also cut back on calories this week by about 25 per day (involuntary). It is really difficult to maintain that 1:1 carb:protein ratio while consuming grains.

A serving of rice is a half a cup of cooked rice. I was shocked to see how small that amount was. In my pre 20-20 days, I can bet that I used to have about 6-8 servings of rice in a meal!! I am still not eating white rice, though. I had rasam sadham (rice with clear tamarind pepper soup) with brown rice and despite my reservation, I was able to eat it. It’s definitely different than white rice but I hear that after a while, one starts liking the flavor of brown rice and disliking the flavor of white rice. We will see.

A funny incident: My hands started getting callused and I went to get some weight lighting gloves. They were $40 and I did not went spend that kind of money. To convince me the salesperson starting pitching the benefits of the gloves and finally he told me that these gloves could also be used for bike riding. That’s when it struck me – I have bike riding gloves. I thanked the helpful salesperson and went my way :) Had he kept quiet, I might have at least purchased a cheaper glove – Oh! Well! :)

Lapse and Relapse

Several of us try to break a habit and the first slip we have, we just decide that our mission has failed and we just completely give in. Then, we give ourselves permission to resume the bad habit or abort the mission for the rest of our lives. See these 2 videos.

It’s not unusual to have lapses. So, if you lapse or in our case, fail to stick to your diet or exercise regimen for a day, instead of giving in completely, do the following

Forgive yourself (Hey, to err is human)
Analyze why you slipped? (Was the goal too lofty? Were there external forces? Were there emotional issues? physical issues? Where were you? Who was with you?…)
Write down the lapse and your analysis?
Plan to succeed (How can you not lapse in this same manner again? Avoid the circumstance? Ask for support? Be better prepared?…)
Rehearse how you will act the next time (Yes, full dress rehearsal).

You might lapse again later, go revise your analysis and plan. If you relapse, then seek help:

from a friend
from family
from a co-worker
from a professional
from a support group
from books/resources

You still have to forgive yourself but you need a 3rd party to help you and to keep you honest with yourself. With any goal, one has to be flexible. If there are emergencies (job loss, health issues, others need urgent assistance…), be ok with pausing on your mission for a while. But, remember to resume soon. Deadlines, work-pressure, pressure at home… are not good reasons to pause a mission, generally speaking. To ensure that no one else sabotages your precious missions, you might want to learn to be assertive.

Being Assertive

Watch this video about assertiveness that educates us to stand for our rights without violating others. I don’t remember the quote or source (help me out here). “Your can swing your cane all you want but you can’t touch my nose – your rights end at the tip of your cane”

There is a huge difference between being passive, aggressive and assertive. It’s funny to see me and my co-worker not being assertive more than half the time. It’s a huge area of improvement for me and my team at work.

Goal Setting

Now, that you know how to deal with lapses and relapses and about being assertive – you know about the worst 2 enemies and you are prepared to start a journey to the destination of your choice. Your 2 enemies will come visit you during your journey but you now know how to deal with them (at least theoretically).

I read a book on goal setting (see references) and these might help you if you are setting some goals for yourself.

Alice: Oh, no, no. I was just wondering if you could help me find my way.
Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to get to.
Alice: Oh, it really doesn't matter, as long as...
Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn't matter which way you go.

Why? The more and better reasons you have for a goal – the more likely you are to achieve it. An introspection exercise is probably warranted at this step
Write the Goals down (We have all heard of SMART goals)
Ensure that this goal does not conflict with other goals you have.
If required, break a big SMART goal into smaller SMART goals.
Visualize how it will be to achieve the goal.
Analyze the goal for potential problems. Here’s where critical thinking becomes very useful. At Microsoft, we use Precision Questioning to aid us in Critical Thinking. In the references section, I have mentioned a book on the topic.
Consider what actions you could/would take to to fix problems identified.
Break the goals into steps that are bite-sized. Set the right amount of time.
Regular review your goals and the progress you are making on the goals.
Reward yourself when you achieve your goals to reinforce this process.

Here are some areas that most of us would have goals in:

Spiritual/Religious
Personal
Health/Wellness
Spouse/Children
Social/Civic/Community
Professional
Economic/Financial

Good Luck with your goals! Please share them by clicking on the comments links below.

del.icio.us Tags: Goal,Goal Setting,Lapse,Relapse,Assertive,Assertiveness,Alice in Wonderland,SMART,Critical Thinking,Precision Questioning

Resources

Week 11 – Food Adventures + Goal of 160 lbs attained!

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:09:00 +0000

Lola’s

Last week, I went to Lola’s (Tom Douglas’ Modern Mediterranean showcase) with my wife for our anniversary dinner. The food, server, ambience, selection… were all just amazing. We were warmly greeted. Our server knew a lot of vegetarian options and assured us that there would be no meat in any of our food. The service was perfect. All the items were outstanding. We ate

For appetizer: Jackie’s Greek salad (I have now changed the way I cut cucumbers based on this dish)
For the second course: Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Spread with Pita
For the main course: Carrot, Chickpeas, Cauliflower, cumin Tagine (a vegetable stew)

We were so full, we skipped on dessert. The meal with about 1,800 calories and my wife and I split it. It was of course biased towards carbs and fat. There was some protein in the feta cheese in the salad and in the chickpeas. But, if I had to spend 900 calories on any meal – this would totally be it. Yummy!

Pizza

Over the weekend I made pizza with Pita bread. I wetted the pita bread, added pizza sauce (which was made from scratch), added mozzarella cheese, some basil and a little bit of olive oil. Broiled it for 15 minutes and it was very tasty. My wife suggested adding basil to the pizza sauce and that really turned out very well. (About 400 calories per pizza). It was like the thin crust pizza you would get in Italy (or so I would like to think).

Work-outs

I walked for 4 miles on 2 different days. I played racquetball on 3 days. I twisted my knee a bit on the 3rd day. It did hurt a bit for one day but I am taking it easy for the last couple of days. This is besides the regular cardio and weight exercises that I have been doing.

Update on weight – new target

I am now at 158.2 lbs (Woo Hoo! I reached my original goal). Of course, you all know that I am revising the goal to 150 lbs at least (maybe more – but we will see once we get to 150). Some of my clothes are too loose and only one of my belts is usable anymore. I need to get new holes in my old belts. I would hate to but any new leather belts (given how evil leather is).

Stress

I learnt about stress this week – here’s a video that you may want to watch

Stress plays a huge role in our health and especially in weight loss. Sleep is very important. I have become a fan of Dr. Vincent Bellonzi – Subscribe to his YouTube channel – he has really thoughtful things to say about health. Here’s a useful article about stress.

A request for comments

I want to ensure that this is blog is useful – so please use the “Comment” link below and add your feedback, suggestions and questions. Cheers!

del.icio.us Tags: Lola,Lola's,Tom Douglas,Pizza,stress

Week 10 – Lost 2.8 lbs – now @ 161.4

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:56:00 +0000

My carb-protein ratio crept up again to 0.97 :( My average steps have increased from the beginning of the program to more than 8,000 on average from about 5,500 at start of program. I find that I need at least 1400 calories a day. 1300 just does not seem sufficient – I am a lot hungrier than normal.

I am revising my goal down to 150 lbs. Of course, I will celebrate when I get down below 160 lbs – but will keep it going after that.

Many people ask me what I eat – here’s what I ate yesterday, for example: (I have put in 2 bugs in the table below – can you spot them?)

From this week, I can eat cereals (like Kashi Go Lean which has 9g of protein per serving) and crackers (like Wasa or ok-mok). Cereals are packed with carbs, so they need to be paired with fat and protein. Greek Yogurt + Cereal + nuts is an example of what I could start having. I still can’t exceed a total of 200 calories from grains and cereals. My club has a whole wheat cheese pizza that I am planning to try this week.

I get my orthotics (custom made) and new shoes (either Asics or Brooke since I am nearly flat footed) later this week and then I can attempt running again. Can’t wait for that! Let’s move on to the tip of the week…

Meal planning and preparation

I find that I need to spend more time planning my shopping and daily meals, given the large amount of things I can eat. Many of you can eat just about anything – so you probably should invest even more time.

Planning takes quite some thought but pays off handsomely at the end. All of us workers get quite hungry by the time we get home, so it’s a good idea to plan to have a snack at 4pm or so. Try adding 2 snacks + a meal into what you need to carry to work everyday.

I used to go shopping nearly every other day – now it is down to twice a week. I hope to plan sufficiently ahead and bring it down to once a week mainly to save time and my sanity.

I pack my meals (sometime my wife helps me) every night for the next day. I could optimize on this as well, since some snacks are not perishable, I could plan some snacks and prepare them (includes weighing everything) and labeling them ahead of time.

Could someone who is not on a real diet trying meal-planning/prep for a week and tell me if they lose weight or save time, just by doing this?

Good Luck!

del.icio.us Tags: typical meal,Kashi Go Lean,Wasa,ok-mok,orthotics,shoes,meal planning,preparation

Week 9 - down 2.2 lbs + hikes + running

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Microsoft had lay-offs (2 of my good friends lost their jobs). My team and I had some concerns. Not sure if it is because of that or because we are in a crucial planning phase that I was very busy at work. It was a super-productive week at work. So, this delayed update to the blog. Apologies to those who tuned in and saw no new updates.

Anyway, this week, my carb-protein ratio crept up to 0.95. I also moved my day of rest from Tuesday to Sunday. Despite this, I lost 2.2 lbs. I am 164.2 lbs now (down 22.2 lbs from the start of the program and down about 30 lbs from my personal lifetime high). My clothes are starting to become too loose to wear and I need new holes in my belt. Yay! I am very confident that I will reach my initial goal of 160 lbs. I am planning to revise the goal down to 150 lbs at least (may be even 145 lbs).

I can now eat nearly everything but white rice, plain wheat flour (whole wheat is fine), sugar (sugar from fruits are ok), starchy vegetables like potato. The choices are so many now, that I have to spend a lot more time planning my meals. While, a roti (Indian Flat bread) with dal (yellow lentil soup) seems tempting every meal, I avoid having it more than twice a week. I still low Kefir and Greek Yogurt and eat them several times a day.

I met my psychologist last week and was concerned if I have some kind of attention deficit disorder as I tend not to complete things I start. After he looked at my to-do list for a week and after questioning me, he determined that I have no such problem - it's just that I dwell on the 5% that I have not completed and forget the 95% I have completed. Also, we determined that I am unsuccessful at completing office work over the weekends - so I am just going to quit planning to get office work done over the weekends. This change in perspective has helped me immensely and I feel much better about the things I am getting done (and that's help me get more things done).

I started running (pretty much for the first time in my life) on Monday. I ran for a couple of minutes and rested for a couple of minutes and did this about 5 times (so 10 minutes of total running). I was so excited. I never thought that I would be running. On Wednesday, I ran for 17 minutes and my feet was hurting. I got my feet checked by a podiatrist and he said that I am quite flat footed and he believes that this could be the reason that I never got into running in my life. I am getting custom fit orthotics and new shoes and he believes that I should be able to start running after that. So, start next week, I am hoping that can start running which is more fun (at least for now) than other cardio exercises. The rowing machine is still killing me - I can't do more than 15 minutes (at 30 strokes per minute) without feeling exhausted.

In the weekend, I went for a hike in Cougar Mountain (very near our house) with my friend Bruce Payette (of Powershell fame and a new 20-20 member). We went to Coal Creek Falls and then walked on the Shy Bear trail back to Red Town Trail-head). I will post the pictures next time around. It was about 4.5 miles round-trip.

This week-end I played racquetball with my cousin Subbu - it was good exercise and good fun.

A lot of friends have started asking me for practical tips on losing weight and I have been providing those on a 1-on-1 basis (not that I am an expert). This week, let's talk about what things Indian Vegetarians can do for better health

Switch to brown-rice (Tamarind rice turns out very well with brown rice and could be a good starting point into brown-rice - yes, it does taste quite different than white rice).
Eat more dal and vegetables than rice.
Use only whole wheat flour with flax seed flour for chappatis
Replace flavored yogurt with plain yogurt and fruits.
Replace fruit juice with fruits
Traditionally, we eat 3 meals a day - split that into 5 or 6 meals in a day. Ensure that you have a mini meal at 4-5pm to avoid overeating at dinner
Eat vegetables of all colors in a week. Purple cabbage tastes as good as green cabbage, BTW.
Avoid potatoes, peas and other super starchy vegetables.
Stop adding sugar to coffee (if you must have coffee) (Chai isn't much better).
Start tracking your calories (see previous posts for recommendations)
For Indian women especially, don't try to lose weight by diet alone. Start a diet only if you can exercise. When you lose weight on a diet alone, you lose muscle mass and your body becomes inefficient at burning calories. Brisk walking is exercise enough.
Substitute yogurt with Greek Yogurt and buttermilk with Kefir.
Switch to non-fat milk or low fat milk instead of higher fat milk
Eat a desi salad before the meal (desi salad dressing is typically just lime, salt and pepper) (some tadka (oil with spluttered mustard seeds) with less oil are ok if sparingly used).
Last but not the least, try to make your social gathering about enjoying people's company than enjoying high-fat foods. You can cook a lot of food and lot of varieties, just don't offer everything like paneer butter masala (Indian cottage cheese cooked in butter sauce).
Add Nutrela (soy chunks) into meals.
If you have desi channels like Zee or Sun or Surya... and watch it for 2 hours a day, it's a good idea to add a treadmill to that scenery.
Yoga, suryanamaskaram are just really great - include them in your life.
Money spent on trainers, dieticians... does pay off in the long-run. So, if you are serious and could use a real-expert's opinion - go for it.
Biscuits with tea was never a Indian thing - let's lose that biscuit.

There are of course the standard rules about breakfast, sleep, water... that are universally applicable.

I am getting ready to watch Super Bowl (American Football's finale for the year) in a few hours. Go Steelers!

del.icio.us Tags: revised goal,running,to-do list,hikes,Coal Creek Falls,Cougar Mountain,Indian diet tips

Week 8 – Portland Hikes and lost 3 lbs

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:44:00 +0000

This week had a lots of highs and lows. My net carb to protein ratio has come up from 0.8 to 0.95. This is mostly thanks to eating Punjabi Chole (Garbanzo Beans in Indian curry gravy) that I made. I need to be more careful in the future when it comes to chole. I lost 3 lbs this week. I am now 166.4 and down 20 lbs from where I officially started.

Over the weekend, I went to Portland and spent time with my cousins. On Saturday morning, I went to Powell’s Bookstore (great store and this alone could make the trip worth it). Then, in the afternoon, I went for a walk in Washington Park with my cousin Sangeetha. I walked on the Wildwood Trail for the most part. This trail is 30 miles long. I walked about 4 miles in it. There was a great collection of trees including Sequoias. I used Sullivan’s book on trails near Portland. You can see the beautiful trees and a view of Mount St. Helens too.

On Sunday, I went to Multnomah Falls with my cousin Subbu and his friends. Unfortunately, the bridge you see in the picture was too icy. We tried crossing and one of our friends fell. So, we went on to Horsetail Falls which is just 3 miles further east along the Columbian Gorge. It was a wonderful trail. It starts of with one waterfall called the Horsetail Falls. Then, you get to go behind a waterfall called Ponytail Falls. Then, at about 800ft about it is Triple Falls.

Horsetail, Ponytail and Triple Falls

Columbian Gorge

I got my body measured on Monday and interesting have lost 3/4 of an inch around my neck :)

On Tuesday, I got a Root Canal redone. My dentist in India had left one of the canals undone. That puts me in some pain but nothing that Vicodin cannot fix.

I started running for the first time today. It’s exciting – I ran for 2 minutes at 5 mph and then walked and did this about 5 times. I definitely need new shoes – so I am planning to get a pair in the next couple of days.

Tip:

Try to increase your steps each day by doing some of the following:
1. Take the stairs
2. Use a printer that’s far away or even in a nearby building
3. Park at the last parking stall
4. Take a longer route to every place you walk to
5. If you are reading something, try doing it standing up or while pacing.

Doing such simple things, increases the calories you burn everyday. Good Luck!

del.icio.us Tags: Multnomah Falls,Horsetail Falls,Ponytail Falls,Triple Falls,hike,Root Canal,Portland

Week 7 – Day 3 – A great exercise for abs

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:25:00 +0000

I had my regular work out today and got on the rowing machine for the first time and that tires me out faster than any other machine, so it will be my cardio machine of choice for the coming weeks, till I can do an hour on it, at a decent pace.

Check this video out. It is a great exercise for the abs. Just FYI, I am at level 1 on this one.

Good Luck!

del.icio.us Tags: abs,side plank

Week 5 – 3 to 7 and Week 6 start – lost 3.4 lb

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:21:00 +0000

I was too busy at work and at home to update the blog last week. Work pressure was immense and the domestic schedule was packed. It was a routine week physical health-wise. I worked out 6 days of the week and kept up the higher protein consumption low calorie diet. Here’s the snapshot: (Notice the carbohydrates to protein ratio was better than last week (from 1.2 and 0.91 to 0.88). Even though, my average calories went up, I lost weight. My steps did go up. My official weight is 169.4 which is 17 lbs down from when I started the program.

I just love Kefir. It tastes like buttermilk. I also like Greek Yogurt and Cheese. These have become good sources of protein. When it comes to Kefir, buy the one from Trader Joe’s rather than the one from Whole Foods. There is a significant difference. The Whole Foods version has only 11 gm. of protein per serving as opposed to the 18 gm. per serving in the Trader Joe’s version. This is attributed to the age of the fermented milk. The Kefir bacteria breaks down more of the lactose in milk with time and looks like Whole Foods is not giving it sufficient time. A similar reasoning could be used to say why sourer buttermilk is better than less sour versions – Comments?

For those of you who are not in the US, you can get Kefir starter kits (think of it like yeast) and make your own. In fact, you can make kefirs of just about any juice (even Coconut water). Not sure how they will taste but the kefir of milk is just delicious. It make great “chaas” or “neer more”.

From this week, I can eat lentils and beans. A cup of cooked beans/lentils has a whopping 230 calories. Even though it has 18g of protein it has about 36g of carbs (though quite a few good carbs). It needs to be paired with a good source of protein like Greek yogurt/kefir.

As I re-read my blog, I noticed that there are things in the blog that are not very practical to everyone. So, I will be adding some practical and simple tips in coming posts.

Tip:

Some of my friends are going on diets to lose weight. I should warn you that losing weight just by dieting is actually a bad thing. You must exercise otherwise you end up losing muscles. When you lose muscles, your body can burn even lesser calories. Then, you would have to cut your calories even more. At some point, the body could move into starvation mode. So, don’t just diet – work out! (Work-out could mean even an hour of brisk walking at the minimum).

del.icio.us Tags: kefir,protein,dal,lentils,diet,green yogurt,exercise

Week 5 – Days 1 and 2 – 5 lbs down

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:42:00 +0000

On Monday, I had a good work-out. I also did some volunteer work at the Vedic Cultural Center. That’s where succumbed to a boondi laddu. I said to myself: I am working so hard over here – one laddu won’t hurt and besides my calories for the days are low. I ate half initially and then 10 minutes later ate the other half. I was really hungry for it. I have happily lived without this for a month and I definitely was not hungry. My dietician says that this is something to be very careful about. Never eat anything and say to yourself that you will work it off. Rarely does that happen.

On Tuesday, I went in for a physical therapy session. My back which was sore last week is all well and good now. I learned some exercise that I need to keep doing. I also learned how to shovel (that’s probably what caused the bad back in the first place). One tip: While washing dishes at the kitchen sink, down slouch. Now you may ask – how then do I get to the dishes? Spread your legs apart to lower your whole body and now you can wash dishes without bending. I was plain amazed at this advice from the therapist. Keep that back straight and untwisted as much as possible.

I decided to take a day of rest – so no work-out on Tuesday.

Drum roll please… I met Chelsea, my dietician and I weighed in at 172.8 (5 lb. off from last week). Yay!

This week, some diary products are introduced in my diet: This include 6 oz. of non-fat yogurt or 8 oz. non-fat milk. I can have these a few times a day. Since, I have fallen in love with Greek yogurt, she suggested that I try Kefir – a much healthier fermented milk. In general, I am supposed to eat carbohydrates and proteins together. So, a Cascade Fresh Fruit Yogurt with Greek Yogurt is a good choice for a snack. BTW, my wife made some salt lassi with Greek Yogurt (Blend Greek Yogurt 8oz + green chili 1/2 + ginger 1 tsp chopped + cilantro 4 sprigs + hing + salt + ice; Serve Cold; Yummy!)

I found Genisoy’s Soy Crisps to be a great snack (available at Fred Meyer’s Natural section). It’s a great alternative to chips and actually taste very good. Unfortunately my dietician banned it because it has rice in it and I am not supposed to be eating grains like rice just yet.

I celebrated with a really nice glass of water :)

del.icio.us Tags: Kefir,Salt Lassi,Greek Yogurt,dish washing

Week 4 – Days 3 to 7 – Hard work

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Fairly normal week. I have been working out everyday. I had substitute instructors who worked me quite hard.

I learned about interval training. For example, on the treadmill, I start at a pace of 3 and incline 3 for 1 minute. Then, 2nd minute I go for pace of 3.5 and incline of 4 (Heart rate goes up a bit). 3rd minute – back to 3 and 3 (Heart rate recovers). 4th minute up to pace of 3.5 and incline of 5. 6th minute back…so on and so forth. At some point the heart rate fails to recover – that’s my metabolic threshold. You can learn more about this in this interesting article.

As you can see from the chart below, my carbohydrate to protein ratio has improved from 1.2:1 to 0.91:1. I did notice however that my fiber consumption is a bit low this week. There is also some correlation to the steps (or NEAT) to the calories I consume.

Here’s a video on how to make a salad from HowCast. Though Youtube has lot more videos, Howcast videos are more instructional.

I go in from my official weigh in tomorrow. Let’s see if I lost any weight in week 4. I am hoping for at least 2 lbs.

del.icio.us Tags: calories,metabolic threshold,salad,interval training

Week 4 – Days 1 and 2 – 0 lbs lost in week 3 + Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:32:00 +0000

Not so good news! Unlike week 1 and week 2, I did not lose any weight in week 3. I was doing less Non-Exercise Activity (thanks to the snow) but also had controlled my calories (down from 1500 to 1285 (average)).

	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon
Calories	1286	1361	1213	1321	1301	1247	1257
Carbohydrates (gm)	136	140	129	125	125	118	129
Fat (gm)	32	48	39	50	45	45	39
Proteins (gm)	121	105	108	104	102	97	105

On my weighing machine at home, I noticed a good 3 lb loss over the week but nothing in the official machine at Pro Club.

While I am a little disheartened, my dietician says that this is not unusual. She said either week 3 or 4 – people have a low weight loss week. She was encouraging and said that I would probably lose more than normal next week. I get to add some fruits to my diet this week. Here are the steps I intend to take to see weight loss by next week.

More Non-exercise activity. I will work on cleaning up the house, garage or garden.
Get Protein to Carbohydrate ratio to 1:1 (down from 1:1.2) – I might have to eat close to 145 gm of protein and carbohydrates.
Eat Protein as soon as I eat carbohydrates.
More intense work-outs – I will try to keep my heart rate @ 145-155 this week and see if that helps.

I did work out yesterday and will be working out later today.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year! I advise against making resolutions just because it’s the new year. Resolutions should have a stronger foundation like a values exercise. Success Television can help you get started. The first video is a sample from Success Television. But, if you must make resolutions now – the second video has some tips.

Good Luck with your resolutions! Wish me luck so next week is more fruitful in terms of weight loss than this one.

del.icio.us Tags: calories,Non-Exercise Activity,protein,carbohydrates,resolutions,values

Week 3 – Days 5 to 7 – end of snow storm

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:53:00 +0000

On Friday, I went in a worked out with a substitute trainer since my trainer is on vacation. I got in early anticipating a slow drive in but the roads were clear. I used a new ab machine and also worked out on the abductor and adductor machines.

On Saturday, I went for a “Hot Restorative Yoga” class with a couple of my neighbors (Kaushik and Sangeetha, who are Yoga buffs). It involved a lot of stretching (50% of which I just could not do). The instructor was nice enough to suggest easy steps for people like me who were inflexible. They turn the heat up to 95’F (35’C) and that alone makes you sweat.

I came home and shoveled all the snow of the driveway, sidewalk and walkway. It took about 75 minutes and it was a work-out in itself. In the evening, I did 20 minutes on the Stairmaster.

On Sunday, I watched Seattle lose their final game of the season. I found it difficult to get motivated after the thrashing we got. In the evening, I managed to get on the treadmill and watch the Chargers butcher the Broncos. I had dinner with neighbors mentioned above. It was sweet of them to have cooked a couple of vegetable dishes specially for me. It felt a little awkward imposing on others with my restricted diet.

I have been consuming 1250 to 1350 calories, these 3 days. I just don’t feel hungry enough to have more.

I am glad the snow storm is done (at least for now). The rains are back and Seattle is back to normal! :-)

del.icio.us Tags: Hot Yoga,Seattle Snow

Week 3 - Days 1 to 4 - more snow/ice, less weight

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:58:00 +0000

First off, a quick update on my weight. I have lost 9.6 lbs, in the first 2 weeks. Yay!

I am expecting to lose 1% of my weight every week from now till I reach 160 lbs. I am now below 180. I should be below 170 at week 8. The blue bar shows the target and the red bar, my actual progress.

The snow in Seattle has not let up. I got stuck in the snow today and had to be pushed by others to get myself moving again. I am unable to go to the gym or walks without some trouble. So, I am hoping that the rains return soon. Given the snow deposits, I expect that it will take 10 days for the snow to thaw.

On Monday, I had a good work-out. The stair machine was gruesome. I was struggling at level 5 and could barely do 20 minutes. I learnt a new ab exercise that gave me ab cramps in just 8 crunches. In strength training, the weights I am lifting are going up and I am able to do more repetitions than before. My heart rate is also low at same work-loads (compared to 2 week ago). So, definitely some improvement.

On Tuesday, I met Chelsea (the dietician). This is when I get my official weigh in. This week, I get to eat cheeses that are low in fat (less than 6 gm. of fat per oz. (1 oz. ~= 28.4 gm)). I can also eat Greek Yogurt which has more protein-to-carb ratio than regular yogurt.

My diet in a nut-shell: 1500 calories, 35-50g fat, 2-5 shakes, 4-6 servings of veggies, 5 servings of berries, 12-18 oz. of protein. I went to Whole Foods Market on my way home and the cheese dude (or fromager or cheese monger) helped me pick cheese that were low in fat. I got a Jalapeno Jack, Aged Irish Cheddar, some Laughing Cows and a few Babybels. The Babybels are not good - rest are yum! I can reduce my intake of the meat-like soy with these options.

In the evening, I focused on the Stair Master. I was on it for 35 minutes and keep my heart rate at about 155. I was pooped. I realized that I had climbed 95 floors! Empire State building has 102 floors and 1850 steps - that's Saturday's goal.

On Wednesday, I reached at 8:15 for my 8am appointment. The trainer said that it was ok given the snow. Phew! After a good work-out, I went for an eye check-up. All's well - no change. I watched a video on sleep and did not realize how important it is. Here's a video that should give you some perspective.

Later in the evening, we went to a restaurant called Teapot to celebrate my wife's birthday. I was able to manage. I tasted everyone's orders but U ordered steamed beans with garlic sauce on the side. I might have consumed about 500 calories during dinner. I had planned for this - so I did not even reach 1400 calories on Wednesday.

On Thursday (Xmas and my wife's birthday), it snowed like crazy. No work out today. We went to a friend's house nearby and it was an adventure getting there. The snow is piled up and I wonder how I will make it to my training session tomorrow. I can't wait for the rains to return.

del.icio.us Tags: grrek yogurt,aged irish cheddar,laughing cow,sleep,apnea,seattle snow

Week 2 - Days 4 to 7 - Snow/Ice in Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:59:00 +0000

Not so long ago, I have eaten a Taco Bell Cheese Pizza (personal Pan), a chalupa and followed that up with a Starbucks whole-milk cappuccino for lunch. In the evening, I could eat that same thing again. That single meal is more than a 1,000 calories! Now, that I am a little more conscious, I feel I can spend lesser calories on all the meals of a day and be just as satiated. I guess all that was needed is some basic calorie counting. CalorieKing.com is a site that lists calories of foods by many ways (cuisine, restaurant, category...). It's probably easier to take their book along (see resources below).

Since Thursday, it has been snowing on and off. Since, it snows just a few days a year in Seattle, the city does not have a standing fleet of snow trucks. We rent the trucks from near and far when the snow comes. This makes economical sense - what do we do for 363 days with those snow trucks? Most highways and arterials are cleared but not the smaller streets. So, it is really tough to get out from your home to an arterial. Now, this makes it difficult to get out to the gym or even go for a week.

I rushed home on Wednesday evening owing to a burst pipe. That's when I stopped being amused about all the snow fear. We had it to take this seriously. We have just turned the valve off for now. Any advice on how to deal with pipes broken inside a non-insulated wall are welcome.

On Thursday, I did not venture out. I stayed home all day and did not even move about much. I was so tempted to eat more with nothing else to do at home. That's how I have programmed myself. Got nothing to do and it's cold outside - get something hot to eat. With some effort I avoided going over my allotted 1500 calories. I had a low NEAT day. What's NEAT? See here.

On Friday, I could not drive in to the Pro Club from my house in Sammamish. I had to call my trainer can cancel our appointment. I felt pretty bad about this. I then realized that I still have membership at Columbia Fitness Club in Pine Lake. I went there and worked out (just elliptical). I attempted to swim but was too tired to even finish 2 laps. I felt better. Ate 1419 calories mostly due to Thursday's guilt.

On Saturday, I went for a walk to my friend's house with my wife. It must have been about 1 mile round trip. It was fun but definitely not a work-out. I consumed 1383 calories on Saturday. I started reading the calorie king book and was so overjoyed to see how few calories are there is some vegetables. Bitter Gourd, Mung Beans, Spinach, Cucumber, Broccoli and several others have less than 40 calories for 2 oz (that's about a full bowl). Wow! If you ever have a choice cook, some of these vegetables with very little oil - add tons of spice and you will be making a good choice. Luckily for me, my wife Reva cooked up these and other healthy vegetables.

Today (Sunday), I worked out (again just stair climber and treadmill) for an hour. I wish I had gotten the Polar FS3 as my heart rate was not showing up on my watch - someone else's was. I shoveled the snow off half my driveway and that was quite some work. Once I came home, I watched Seattle Seahawks win again. It was touching to see Holmgren receive a fond farewell on the home finale. It was fitting that Favre and the snow were here as well. As of 9:30pm I have had 1229 calories, I might consume another 150 calories before sleeping.

del.icio.us Tags: Non exercise activity thermogenesis,NEAT,vegetables,calorie king,calories,Seattle Snow

Resources:

Week 2 – Days 1, 2 and 3

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:45:00 +0000

On Monday, I had a ton of work – so left home in icy weather (-5’C) at 5:30 am. I got my work done so I could head to the gym at 8. I had a good work-out. Stuck to diet. I happened to swing by Starbucks and it felt really odd not getting anything. I thought I was such a huge coffee addict, but I have been off coffee for 5 days now and don’t really seem to miss it. I am not saying I am quitting coffee for good but it does not seem like a tough habit to kick.

Here’s are a couple of interesting videos. The first one talks about the importance of water (forgive the accent). The second one talks about caffeine. Any addiction is bad and if you are addicted to coffee – there is a recommendation to not be dependent on it. BTW, I quit coffee with no trouble and I am now coffee-free for 7 days.

On Tuesday, I met my dietician, Chelsea Bobcek. As always, she was pleasant, creative, resourceful and motivating. She appreciated me for sticking to my diet and being honest with the Roti Kanai incident. I am now allowed to eat vegetables like spinach, broccoli, carrots… but limited amounts. I was surprised to see that 1 small ladle scoop of cooked spinach is a serving. I can eat 2-3 servings of vegetables and lunch and same at dinner. I can cut out the shakes at this time. Of course, starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, yams, some squashes are to be avoided.

Meal	Time	What I can eat
Breakfast	7 AM	Shake, 1/2 cup of berries, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, 2tsp of high-lignan flax oil (Barlean's is a good brand), 2 multi-vitamins, 1 calcium tablet and 1 tbsp. of a fiber supplement
Snack	10 AM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries + (optional) add 1/2 cup of high-fiber raw/cooked vegetables
Lunch	1 PM	Shake (optional) and 1/2 cup berries, 28-42 gm. of protein (more about this later) + 1 fat serving (1 tsp oil or 10 peanuts or 3 almonds, 1 tsp of butter...) + 2-3 servings of vegetables
Eve. Snack	4 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries + (optional) add 1/2 cup of high-fiber raw/cooked vegetables
Dinner	7 PM	Shake (optional) and 1/2 cup berries, 28-42 gm. of protein + 1 fat serving + 2-3 servings of vegetables
Over the day	anytime	64 oz. or 1.8 liters of water Avoid caffeine.

On Tuesday, I had too much work and I was planning to work-out in the evening and that did not pan out. I am planning to avoid trying to work-out in the evenings. I had only 1400 calories on Monday and on Tuesday, I was too tired. Now, I am shooting for 1450 as my daily target – let’s see how that goes.

On Wednesday, I got a good work-out with my able trainer. It was fun.

del.icio.us Tags: meal planning,coffee,caffeine,water,best time to work-out

Week 1 – Days 5, 6 & 7

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:26:00 +0000

I have been sticking to the diet. I found a few burgers that seem more tolerable than others. Boca seems like a good compromise at 100 calories per serving and providing 14 grams of protein. I have been eating these with really hot chili peppers, ground pepper and ground cumin. Ever Wonder why chili peppers are hot? Talk of the Nation on NPR had a show on this very topic.

I don’t feel hungry – I am even able to reduce the calories consumed everyday without feeling hungry, as long as I am eating something every 3 to 4 hours.

On Friday, I worked out under the guidance of my able trainer.

On Saturday, I went for a 3.5 mile walk in Point Defiance Park with my uncle, aunt and my wife. Since the moon was at it closest to the earth in about 15 years, the high tides were really high. It was a really cold day but the waves crashing into the sea wall were so beautiful to see that we forgot how cold it was.

On Sunday, I got on the treadmill for an hour and watched the Seahawks win. (Finally!) Daler’s music helps me going at a good pace.

So things are going well. 2 more days and I can start adding some vegetables back – can’t wait to do that :)

del.icio.us Tags: chilli peppers,capsaicin,point defiance park,Seahawks

Week 1 - Days 3 and 4

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:30:00 +0000

Day 3 - Wednesday

I did not realize that it took so long to get my breakfast done. I was not used to all the measuring. I was about 5 minutes late for my appointment with the trainer. I climbed stairs (about 30 floors) for about 20 minutes, then treadmill for about 20 minutes. While I was doing this, my trainer was kind enough to take the cards from the Stretch deck and picked out a subset that would stretch all major muscle groups.

At the end, I did some strength training on those machines. Seemed a little strenuous but do-able. I did just 1 set of 15-20 reps on about 5 machines.

I am supposed to track every thing I eat, the amount of water I drink, the steps I take and the calories I burn. The corresponding professional reviews this.

You can use The Daily Plate to do the same. It's a FREE web-site and it has all the foods you can imagine already entered in it. I highly recommend it. You can also track your steps, exercises and water consumption on this site. I had used it for a month a few years ago and the site was good then - it has gotten much better now. Meal tracing web-sites rely a lot on content contributed by its users. It would be very difficult to find a better site that this one because this one has been around for about 5 years at least.

The shakes and berries are fine - they really fill me up. I was not hungry at all. Reva (my wife) cooked the soy proteins into an Indian style curry for lunch and they were ok (or so I thought). In the evening, I made some for dinner myself and the stuff I made was god awful!

I was so tired by the end of the day today that I slept early and actually skipped a meal. It's funny - I was full even in the morning, the next day.

Though I am technically allowed to have a cup of coffee, I skipped that as well - this tiredness could be attributed to coffee-withdrawal?

Day 4 - Thursday

Cooked lunch and dinner in the morning (Added tons of jalapenos and cilantro to mask the soy taste). This time, I used Morningstar's Vegan burgers (100 calories, 12g of protein). It was just bear-able.

Confession time: I happen to be the President of a Toastmaster's Club called Bellevue Talk-A-Lots. Our club had their annual Christmas luncheon today at Malay Satay Hut. I ate a piece of Roti Kanai (a small piece). I just found it too tough to resist. While other then enjoyed more appetizers and their Malaysian lunches, I had my berries and shake! I will chalk that up to a "newbie" mistake. I should have had my stomach full before I went in.

In the evening, I worked out for an hour. As repentance for my afternoon sins, I walked from my work-place to ProClub and back - it took me 32 minutes (total). It was cold - brrrr! I stepped in some muck while trying to take a short-cut in the dark. The elliptical is most fun with soggy shoes! Try that sometimes!

del.icio.us Tags: meal Planning,meal tracking,daily plate

Week 1 - Day 2 - Meet the dietician (Chelsea Bobcek)

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:57:00 +0000

It was a crazy day at work. I could not work out in the morning as planned, mainly because I slept too late. I am setting an alarm to remind me when I need to sleep. I did however get to work out in the evening. I stayed on the elliptical for 60 minutes. I was sweating. The machine said that I had burned 625 calories. My trainer says that this reading is not accurate and that I should not be worrying about the calories - just do the hour! It felt great to have accomplished an hour of exercise for the first time on the program.

In the afternoon, I met Chelsea Bobcek, my dietician. She is a vegetarian like I am. She has asked me to follow the following regimen for this week:

Meal	Time	What I can eat
Breakfast	7 AM	Shake, 1/2 cup of berries, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, 2tsp of high-lignan flax oil (Barlean's is a good brand), 2 multi-vitamins, 1 calcium tablet and 1 tbsp. of a fiber supplement
Snack	10 AM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries
Lunch	1 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries, 28-42 gm. of protein (more about this later) + 1 fat serving (1 tsp oil or 10 peanuts or 3 almonds, 1 tsp of butter...)
Eve. Snack	4 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries
Dinner	7 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries, 28-42 gm. of protein + 1 fat serving
Over the day	anytime	64 oz. or 1.8 liters of water

The shake I am getting is the Ultrameal from Metagenics that I already told you guys about. I am taking the flax oil to boost up my HDL count. Peanut butter ingredients should say nothing but peanuts. Rest seem logical.

The 28-42 gm of proteins at lunch and dinner are Soy products like Nutrela, Morningstar burgers Tofu OR protein from wheat, whey or mushrooms OR egg whites. I don't like these items as they seem like meat to me.

Chelsea was amazing and she suggested way I could cook these items so they would be more palatable. She also gave me a lot of tips on how I could substitute things smartly or blend things differently. Like everyone else at 20/20, Chelsea seemed to be genuinely interested in my well-being. There are rumors that I can eat vegetables next week. I just can't wait for next week.

I have to plan out my meal and parties/meetings should be thought of, so I don't starve. I have to eat about every 3 hours. I am supposed to consume about 1500 calories a day - 40% from protein, 40% from carbohydrates and 20% from fat. I already have a scale and need to get a set of measuring spoons and cups. They are serious when they things like 1/2 cup. They mean it!

Good news is that I could pig out today and start the diet tomorrow or day-after. I have decided to start the diet changes on Wednesday.

After indulging in sinful food, I went to Whole Foods to buy some ingredients for my meals.

del.icio.us Tags: Meal Planning,Soy,Morningstar,flax oil,high-lignan,calories,diet,berries

Week 1 - Day 1 - First day with trainer

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:55:00 +0000

I met my trainer today. She has been doing this for over 15 years. Most of today was spent on rules and getting to know my goals. I have already shared my goals in this post. The rules essentially boil down to 2 things: honesty and punctuality. I plan to be on time and not lie in the health tracker (an on-line program).

I had decided to line my vacation up with that of the trainer’s. I will be taking a break from Christmas to the New Year from the formal coaching (no break from working out or getting off the diet). She gave me a quick tour of the facilities and I was confused. I took a map on my way out, which helped. ProClub is HUGE! She also told me that I get a free 10-session pass to an instructor led program (like cardio or spinning (Spinning is riding the stationery bike).

I did 15 minutes of cardio at level 5. It seemed moderate for me. My heart rate monitor works. It did not convey readings to the machine though (will debug that later). My pulse was at 140-150 during the time.

At the end of work-out, I watched an introductory video on 20/20. It was motivational. I am supposed to throw out junk food. Not sure – how my wife is going to take to that? :) I am going to have to avoid parties which have food festivals associated with them.

I will be meeting the dietician tomorrow and have to work-out (cardio) for 60 minutes.

Check out this article on MSN Health or this video below for some motivation of your own.

del.icio.us Tags: motivation,proclub

Sixth and last Preparation Step before the drill begins

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 01:07:00 +0000

Yesterday (Friday), I got at 4:30am as I had a presentation to work on and I had a doctor's appointment at 6:30am. This doctor's appointment was a lot different from any others I have ever had. Though my regular doctor is a really nice person, this Doctor (Dr. Perkins) was just super nice. He was genuinely interested in my well-being. On average, doctors probably spend 20-30 minutes on a patient. Dr. Perkins seemed to have spend quite some time looking through the results of all the previous tests before meeting me.

Blood pressure: My blood pressure was 100/71 which is pretty good. My mother and sister have lower blood pressure as well, though my dad has slightly elevated BP. Goal is to keep it here for life. I am supposed to avoid excess salt, avoid fats and work out to achieve this.

Blood Chemistries: My total cholesterol was 173 which is good. But, HDL is 34 a little less than the minimum expected. I need to boost HDL to 50. Triglycerides were sitting pretty at 118. LDL was 115 - could be better if they were < 100. Glucose was normal at 93. Low-fat balanced diet, reducing body weight and physical activity will help.

Cancer: My risk of various cancers are low. Eating cabbage family veggies, high fiber foods, foods high in vitamins A & C, healthy weight will help keep the risks low.

Diabetes: I have mild risk of diabetes because uncles from my father's and mother's side have Type II diabetes. Controlling weight should help.

Stress and Depression: I scored low on both of these (which is good). These were based on a questionnaire I had filled out at the very beginning. Sleep (7 or 8 hours), diet, exercise, time management, a sense of humor, learning to say no and learning to relax are tips to be aware of.

Nutrition: I scored "Fair" and have quite some room for improvement in this area. Lots of tips here. I am sure you have heard them all. I am sure that when I meet my dietician - these will be re-iterated. I will cover each in detail the.

Safety: I scored average on this test. Emergency preparedness was pointed out as the biggest area of improvement. I was shocked to hear that more people are injured by smoke inhalation than by other injuries, when there is a volcano!

Prevention: I scored average here. Tips include ensuring I get a medical check-up every year. Ensure that one gets testicular, rectal and prostrate tests annually as well.

Cardiovascular: The maximum oxygen consumption (ml/kg-min) during the treadmill test was 38 which is poor. 13 out of 20 males in my age range would have done better. I am sure I will get tons of cardio exercises.

Bicep Strength: was poor at 46 lbs. I need to be do some strength training exercises as well.

Flexibility: As I mentioned before, I am not flexible at all. In the Sit and Reach test - I was able to move on 6.3 in. I need to stretch. I have a card deck on stretching which I will be opening up today :)

Body age: My body age is 10-15 years more than my chronological age and the doctor promised me that it would 10-15 years lesser at the end of the program.

After looking at my family's health history, the doctor had come to some of the above conclusions. I was so impressed that he had all of their health profiles in memory. I could reduce Arthritis risk by taking Omega-3 capsules twice a day and in general take a multi-vitamin a day.

BMI seems to be a very rough guide. Come to think of a high-jumper and a line-backer are measured on the same scale. It just does not make sense now. I am a stocky person. So, instead of shooting for the standard 23-25 BMI range, I am going for something like 27. My weight goal is 160 lbs (which is how much I weighed at 21). It is funny that the weight loss seems more like a side-effect to good health than a goal in itself.

I meet this really nice person (also happens to be the doctor), every 5 weeks from now on. I am pigging out this week on foods I will have to avoid starting next week.

del.icio.us Tags: cardio,body age,cancer,stretching,blood pressure,LDL,HDL,triglycerides,bicep strength,stress,depression,flexibility

Resources:

Fifth step - More paper work, payment and initial assessment

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:32:00 +0000

I had to drink 64 oz of water and fast the night one more time in preparation for today's tests.

I went in @ 7:30am. First, I signed my life away to the program :). There was a liability waiver, intent to comply and other forms. Then, I paid my portion which was $1800. MS and Premera are going to pay the remaining $6000, provided I go through the program faithfully and promptly. I can't be late to any of my appointments or there are penalties. Also, I swore to limit caffeine and alcohol intake - whoa! that was hard :)

All the paper work (detailed online surveys) I had submitted before had been reviewed (How nice!) and they had some questions that needed more clarification.

Then, the health assessment: My blood pressure was 100/71. They measured my body fat by actually connecting electrodes to my hand and leg (bio electrical impedance analysis). My body fat percentage is 25.4% of my body mass which is 186 lbs (with clothes & shoes). I am at the border between obese and over-weight and they suggest that I drop at least 5% of my body fat during the program. A weight loss of about 20 lbs would be a side effect. They took a face-shot and a full-size picture of me for their before and after album? :). Then, with a measuring tape - I got measured. I am looking to lose an inch around my neck :) Then, they put me on a treadmill with a heart rate monitor (a Polar) and checked my efficiency (not sure how this works). Anyway, they got my rate up to 155 in about 10 minutes by make me walk fast on a steep incline. My recovery time was short (time for heart rate to return to normal). A strength test for my biceps followed and I was able to lift 46 lbs. And finally, there was flexibility test where you try to touch your toes while you are sitting with your legs stretched. I definitely flunked the flexibility test - I barely could move a few inches towards my toes.

A personal trainer called Mila took me through the process and she was just amazing. Very efficient and lots of energy. She sent me off with a pedometer (an Omron Aerobic) and water bottle. I am supposed to walk at least 5,000 steps (not counting exercise) and drink 3 bottles of water (about 72 oz or about 2 liters). I got a temporary card so I can now enjoy the ProClub.

Next appointment is with a doctor on Friday and then Monday is when the program begins.

PS: I have been eating all my favorite foods in preparation to the deprival that is to ensue :) It was super-hot chilli bhajji's yesterday.

del.icio.us Tags: body fat percentage,flexibility,bicep strength,omron aerobic,pedometer

Resources:

Fourth Step - A psychotherapist !

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:36:00 +0000

It was a not-so-great weekend. The Mumbai terror attacks made me furious. Then, I remembered a book I had read called "The Buddha and the terrorist" (link below). Violence does not solve anything. Violence in response to violence does not solve anything either. I would highly recommend this book. It will put constraints on the possible solutions to terrorism. The author "Satish Kumar", is someone I truly respect. I have heard him speak (not in person). He believes in a life that replenishes the soil, soul and the society. Soil replenishment is the seed of the "Green movement". After you read some of the his works, you will see that Soil replenishment is not the end.

I spent Sunday at work. It was nice and peaceful and I had a productive day. I had a work-out serving food at the Hindu temple near my house. I weighed myself this morning and I was 183.6 lbs (that puts my BMI @ 31.5). I seemed to have a lost a few pounds since I started this blog, and haven't done anything yet.

As part of the 20/20 program, one has to meet with a psychotherapist every 45 days or so. Relationships, emotions, work-life balance, prior weight loss failures and stress can be contributors to not being successful in managing weight. I was quite sure that I did not have any emotional problems walking in. But wait!

I discovered that I lead a pretty stressful life. I eat lunch alone many days. This could be contributing to my not getting recognized at work. Hmmm... The psychotherapist (Bill Cooper, MSW, LICSW) I met was a nice person. He himself had lost weight on the 20/20 program. We talked about the following areas:

My goals/reason for joining 20/20
Work
Work-life balance
Domestic life (marriage)
Sleep
Food/Alcohol habits, portion sizes
Exercise/Activities...

I guess the session was a success when the patient feels like he has had a casual conversation with an acquaintance. Here's a link to his office. I will be meeting him again at the end of this month. I learned that there is a field of science called bioethics - he recommended a book on the subject. He mentioned in reaction to my considering giving up on dairy products.

Disclaimer: This program (not only this session) seems to be highly customized and tailored to the individual. So, take my blog with a bucket of salt. What works for me - might not work for you.

del.icio.us Tags: phychotherapist,emotion,stress,eating disorders,terrorism,Buddha,Bill Cooper,mumbai

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Shakes

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:52:00 +0000

As part of the program, you are weaned off of real food for a week and then slowly introduced back to it. During the first week, I will be consuming meal replacement shakes.

I looked at the ingredients of the 20/20 shakes and compared to those that Metagenics offers and found that the Metagenics ones were more potent. (I am not yet sure if that's ok or not). The ones I am looking at are UltraMeal® Plus Medical Food and UltraMeal® WHEY. These shakes have a lot of goodness in them and your body will be fine with just having them as meals.

I would like to give a shout-out to my wife who participated in the formulation and creation of the above mentioned products. Isn't that wonderful! You go looking for a product and the best one is made by your own wife!

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for visiting!

del.icio.us Tags: Metagenics,ultrameal,meal replacement,protein shakes,vitamins

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