End of Week 3 beginning of Week 4

Well this week things are still getting easier, well with the exception of my explosive detoxing...which I'm told is normal...it is getting easier. I'm eating more fruits and veggies, which I really like, and switching it up with more protein. I'm also finding my workouts are becoming easier...I actually forward to them. I'm doing all cardio work, keeping my heart rate between 110-120 so that I burn fat, not sugar or carbs. This is were the knowledge of slow muscle fibers and the proper exercise of it comes in. I eat fresh fruits and veggies and use the fat I have stored as fuel for my body, and I'm noticing a difference.

I've had to tighten my belt and all of my cloths are looser. I was walking through the quad today and one of my co-workers remarked that I do look thinner, so I guess its working. I still need to watch the next section of the DVD but I've been so busy...this is our busy time of the year and I'm trying to no let it effect my progress...and so far so good...two weeks of hell and then it should be settling into a routine.

I've found myself walking more places, and more often. I no longer plan my comings and goings from the bus schedule, if a bus happens to be coming by when I decide to leave...I might take it...but if I have to wait around for 3-5 minutes I get jumpy and just decide to walk. Its a great feeling!

I've actually cut my workouts back...double cardio workouts were a little to much for me. I'm still doing 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, and it is really starting to show. I was waiting for reactions from other people, to see if they saw it, but have learned that if I just pay attention all the signs are there, while walking down the stairs at work...my knees didn't hurt. As some of you might know I have had bad knees since my ACL surgery in the Mid 90's...and walking down 6 to 8 flights of stairs used to be a core. My knees would pop and ache with each stair I was taking...and on Friday...I about ran down the stairs with zero pain. It was a great feeling! I soon found that I was bounding up the stairs as well, taking them 2 at a time...like I used to do!

I love having all this energy...and the drive and motivation to do something with it! I actually thought about joining the military again, unfortunately I also learned that with my RE4 discharge code I would be unable to. So I think I'm going to do something else, I'm going to participate in a Mini Triathlon in April, 2010 in Needham, MA. 440 yard swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3 mile run...I'm very much looking forward to it.

With the end of this week it will be my 4th week, that means its time to get weighed in and taped by my coach. I'll be heading to Maine on Friday. As a bonus, my sister is out from NY with my niece and nephew whom I haven't seen in over a year. It will be nice to see their reaction. My sister and my brother in law both started the Transition's program the week before me in NY...I'm curious to see how she's doing. :)

I've had a bunch of people ask me if they can share this blog with others, BY ALL MEANS! :) That is part of why I am blogging my experience. If I can help inspire someone else to take charge of their own health and follow in my footsteps then great!! If you can help someone by sharing this with them, even better. If we have friends that are looking out for our welfare, either physically, mentally, or in some cases spiritually...doesn't that make our lives that much better? So yes, if you think my story can help someone out, then share it! If I can help you out...even better.

This program is easy as long as you enter it with the mindset of changing your lifestyle. Once you kick the carb cravings and dump the lazy attitude its really not hard. There are plenty of quick and easy ways to eat healthy that are also tasty. I've noticed that my taste buds are...maybe heightened (not sure thats the right term)...but I'm finding that flavors are richer and more flavorful. I was having dinner with my Mother and Sister in Boston on Saturday and while I was eating my Cajun Salmon with a double helping of veggies I could taste some of the different spices they were using...I actually had to add pepper. And they had put a small amount of butter on the veggies...it was barely noticeable to the eye...but my taste buds found it. Its really a different experience then what I was expecting.

Well I'll post the day after I get weighed and taped..and we will see how good my numbers are, though I'm confident that I will be happy with the results...hell I already am, the numbers are just hard data.

Week 2....to 3

So I missed doing an installment of my Blog on Monday...as I was still on Vacation. Speaking of Vacation I must say...I'm very surprised, and I must say, proud of myself. I was on Vacation for 5 days and I was able to stick to the program, with one moment of weakness at 6 Flags for Kelly's Birthday, I had some Ice Cream. Not a big deal, the beauty of this program is that it is flexible enough to allow for little mistakes.

Also while I was on vacation I still got in some exercise in the form of a brisk morning walk, I walked for 2 miles each day and now that I'm back to work I've increased my work outs to 45 mins. I'm finding that I look forward to the gym after work...its no longer a chore...nor do I dread doing it. In the past I've never really changed the way I was eating AND gone to the gym on a regular basis. I always relied on a partner to help motivate me at the gym...now I'm working out on my own. I'm holding myself accountable and I'm finding it VERY empowering.

Now I'm not doing everything right, I know this. I'm suppose to be journaling daily, and I've even paid for a website that I could journal on and my coach could simply log in and read it...which considering she's in Maine would be convenient. :) Now if only I could get myself to do it...kinda of ironic since now I'm blogging about it to. But the type of things I should be jotting down are how I'm feeling, what I'm eating, how my cloths are feeling, ect. I'm putting a lot of that here but I still should stick to the steps of the program.

So something I was talking to my Coach about today...people are always asking, "how much weight have you lost?" To me, that's the wrong question. You should be asking, "how many inches have you lost?" or "Are your cloths looser?" ect. As a society that is obsessed with yo-yo dieting and the wrong type of exercising we are too fixated on "weight loss" verses "fat loss." When we did my measurements I had 110 lbs of fat...let me say that again...110 lbs of fat! Now in the past I've lost weight but I haven't lost the right kind of weight. This program leverages good eating and exercise to burn fat by using your slow muscle fiber and supplements to build lean muscle while at the same time boosting your metabolism. And its working, I've had to tighten my belt to keep my jeans from falling to my ankles!

My energy level is through the roof, unless its 94 degrees and 99% humidity...then moving is an effort! But I digress. I'm more focused this week, and in the past I've lost interest in things like this. It's actually a VERY simple program to follow, the detox week seems to have been the hardest. I'm still eating raw fruits and veggies, but I've added a half of a cup of lean protein into the every meal. Beans on a salad, butternut squash, grilled chicken, eggs, ect. There really is no limit as to how much you can eat...and its all pretty tasty. You can follow this meal plan even if you can't cook...they have recipes right on the website you can download...its idiot proof! The biggest thing is having the will power to get through the first week...after that it seems everything else is cake.

I'm going to do this for me this time, not for a girl, not because someone else is doing it...but because I want to! I'm tired of being the "fat friend." How about I become the "good friend!"

I have to thank Mike for requesting I blog my experience, if I can inspire just one person to take this step, for themselves, than I've done something. But even if I don't, I will do it for me..and that will be a monumental accomplishment! Until next time!

OK I first off need to thank Mike for giving me this idea, so thank you!

I decided that its time I re-claim my body. I was in great shape after high school and Military School. Heck I only got in better shape when I was in Navy. As some of you know, after months and months of hard work and lobbying I received orders to report to BUD/S training in the spring of 1995. For those of you that don't know what BUD/S stands for its Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, That's right it was my long time dream to become an elite navy frogman.

While training for my upcoming INDOC, I was working with the SEAL motivator on the New London sub base and taking martial arts. It only took one night, and all my dreams were shattered. While doing hand to hand combat training I pivoted wrong on my left foot and took about 450 lbs across my knee, there was an audible pop. The next day, a MRI and X-rays revealed a torn meniscus, a strained PCL, and no ACL...it had snapped and, like a rubber band, shot up under my knee cap. My full time frogman career ended, before it started. I was dropped from INDOC before i ever set foot in San Diego.

So the next year and a half I was on LIMDU and going to Physical Therapy 3 times a week for 2 hours a day. I also entered into a depression, became lethargic and didn't want to do anything, I started packing on the pounds and eventually it lead to my separation from the Navy. Fast forward to now.

I was visiting my mother on the weekend of Jul 31, 09 and I attended the christening of the USS Jason Dunham in Bath, ME. I met the Marines that knew him and I was profoundly touched by his story. I went home and thought about all of this for a while. I made the decision that it was time to take matters into my hands. I know this sounds like a nonsequitur...but it had a serious impact on my thought process.

Anyway, I met with my Transitions Lifestyle Coach and we started everything on Aug 2. I paid $75 for my kit, which wasn't needed for the first week. It was mailed directly to my house. We talked about what transitions actually is and how it is not a diet but a lifestyle change...I figured it was time to do something! So now I am truly committed. Transitions is a way of eating and exercising to loose fat and build lean muscle. It leverages slow muscle fiber exercise and nutrition to speed up your metabolism and expel that crap that makes up everyday eating in America.

So on to brass tax...talk about a wake up call. The initial weight in was an eye opener. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, as this was a spur of the moment idea however this will give you an idea.

Age: 35 H: 5' 9" W: 287.5lbs BF%: 37%

Here are my Navy stats which I still recall from my first day with the SEAL motivator.

Age: 20 H: 5' 9" W: 176 lbs BF%: 12

So needless to say...I have really let myself go.

So with the decision made, all I have to do is stick to the program! Its been a lot easier then I thought.

Week 1: Detox

After years of eating like I didn't care what I put in and minimal activity I knew this was going to be hard. I really haven't done anything to work the Slow Muscle Fiber of my body in the past, so with the guidance of my coach and the Transitions plan I put into practice what I needed to.

For a week I ate raw or steamed veggies, fresh fruit, V8 juice, and a ton of water with lemon. I was a little adverse to salad for breakfast, but I was able to work past that. The first 3 days were the worse, all I wanted to sleep and my belly hurt. But I stuck to it, I drank some peppermint tea to settle my tummy and ate fruits and veggies whenever I was hungry.

I won't go into the gory details but it works. By the end of the week had so much energy that I felt like I was going to vibrate out of my skin. I couldn't sit still, the opportunity came to meet Mike, Jessi, and Derek in the city for dinner and I jump at it, just to get out of the house! Walking to the T, I didn't think I was walking fast enough and wanted to run...however I'm not at that stage yet.

On top of eating veggies I also started at the gym, a very short and slow routine that will get my heart rate up, help me build lean muscle and burn off some of the 110 lbs of fat I have on my body. Yeah...110 lbs of FAT!! We did a have 174lbs of lean muscle....yet its covered up by 110 lbs of discussing, bulbous fat! OK...enough ranting.

So when I go to the gym I do a recombinant bike course for 30 minutes while keeping my heart rate between 110-120. This is very light impact and not taxing on my body, which during Detox is very important. This is to start me helping my body get used to doing sustained physical work.

I ended the week cleaning up the house, doing 9 loads of laundry, and walking to the grocery store on Sunday. I then spent the night preparing items for meals and snacking over for the next week. I ended my weekend feeling accomplished.

I think I'll make this an every week blog, if people want to hear more or have questions all you have to do is ask. For more information on the Transition program visit the website, www.transitionslifestyle.com

Thanks for reading.