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David's "Pre-Cruise" Diet Blog

(August 23-September 3, 2004)




Friday, September 3, 2004

Held steady from yesterday, but only because I also did another 55 minutes on the treadmill late yesterday. I came within three pounds of my goal and I feel terrific. My fitness level is way up and I am sleeping extremely well at night due to all the exercise and clean living. When I get back, I will resume my weight loss and exercise with the goal of bringing myself down to 132-135lb over the coming two months and will update you on a weekly basis as to my progress. I can already see there will be a need for more strenuous exercise at a higher treadmill elevation to burn off the fat, which is not a problem. It feels good to sweat off the pounds.


Thursday, September 2, 2004

Lost a pound back down to the low seen on Monday, and increased elevation on the treadmill to 5.0 after realizing an increase to 4.5 from 4.0 was having no material impact on my exertion as measured by heart rate or perspiration. In fact, even at 5.0 (halfway to the maximum elevation of 10), I did not exceed 112 beats per minute and did not perspire noticeably. I may do another 45 minutes this afternoon to increase the calorie burn.

Breakfast

Dinner

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Holding steady for another day, with resting heart rate down to 48 beats per minute. My doctor would be happy, but it just goes to show my elevated fitness is reducing my metabolism and calorie burning capabilities! Such is life.

Breakfast


Dinner

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

The exercise is not getting my heart rate up to the level expected because my body is adjusting to the heightened pace. But the sludge is leaving and I feel lighter, even if the scale says otherwise. If the worst comes to the worst, at least I will be in much better physical condition by the end of the week. And that's always a plus.

Breakfast


Dinner

Monday, August 30, 2004

Volunteered to mow another lawn yesterday for one hour and took a two hour walk outside in high humidity and ate dinner at the Olive Garden Restaurant where the other party had the entree and I buried my face in two helpings of salad out of two different three quart sized bowls. Details listed under "Sunday" below. Did not eat a breakfast today. I am putting a hard boiled egg in my dinner along with one slice of toasted bread as croutons. The result is a drop of two pounds from yesterday and a reduction in my waist measurement toward the 34 inch pants which I normally wear. I am now down 7 pounds in 7 days of serious exercise and dieting, on my way to the goal of 142lb which I have until Friday to reach. As a reward, I am making myself a Thousand Island dressing mix from basic ingredients.

Dinner



Sunday, August 29, 2004

Elevation on the treadmill was increased to 4.5 to keep my pulse rate up as my cardiovascular fitness level continues to increase. I did a one hour lawn mowing workout yesterday at 140bpm which brought my weight down temporarily to 146lb immediately afterwards. It's clear I will have to burn more calories via exercise to attain my goal of 142lb by Friday, or something close. The body has a way of adjusting to preserve its weight which can be frustrating when one is trying to lose it, but you already know that to be the case!

Breakfast


Dinner

Saturday, August 28, 2004

No change, as my metabolic rate attempts to slow to match the food intake. This is a natural body response based on the fact humans used to be required to fast for long periods of time until the hunters were able to find the food in the wild. I'm still carrying too much sludge and we'll see if it starts to leave during the remainder of the weekend, due to all the roughage being consumed. In addition, my fitness level is increasing, which is dropping my heart rate during exercise despite a higher treadmill elevation (3.5) and therefore level of difficulty. This acts to diminish the benefit of the exercise as a calorie burner. I may have to increase the elevation again to keep the calorie burn level higher.

Breakfast


Dinner

Friday, August 27, 2004

I took the elevation up a notch from 3.0 to 3.5 and that resulted in an increase in the treadmill pulse rate of 15 beats per minute and a slightly higher calorie burn rate. Unfortunately, my weight went up a pound due to increased sludge retention and some contribution from increased muscle mass in the buttocks and legs from the exercise. The sludge will be leaving in the near future, once all the veggies have worked their way through my intestinal system. Trick #5 in reference to the "Italian Sausage" incident mentioned yesterday is to eat s-l-o-w-l-y. It took me 25 minutes to eat that six inch sausage, as I took only one bite of one inch of the sausage every five minutes to savor it and let it settle in my stomach. If you eat quickly, it will just make you frustrated. Which leads to Trick #6. I've been working all morning and not having breakfast until the early afternoon. That makes it easier to "last" until dinner. Even though my weight went up a pound, my waist dropped half an inch at the belly button.

Breakfast


Dinner

Thursday, August 26, 2004

I was out of town yesterday, and could not eat my regular evening meal, so I decided the best solution was the Italian Sausage which was essentially a Polish Dog, and because I had "sinned," I increased the treadmill this morning to one hour to burn up a few more calories. Due to the lack of major food input and the regular exercise, I dropped halfway to my goal (from 152 to 142) and I am noticing a small decrease in the size of my pot belly. Measuring at the most extreme point while relaxed (which is basically around my belly button), I still have way too much fat but I see that something positive is occurring.

Breakfast


Dinner

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Yesterday was another very busy day with little time for much else than work. That kept me out of the kitchen. Trick #4 which works great is not to have anything appetizing IN the kitchen. This prevents "cheating" on the diet. The outside walk was on a mildly declining slope for 1.7 miles and exactly the opposite on the way back, which accelerated my heart rate. I had to slow down my pace to keep the heart rate from rising too high.

Breakfast


Dinner

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Yesterday, I had a very good start. There were three tricks which I used. Trick #1 is that I didn't eat breakfast until 10AM, which meant I had "fasted" from 8PM the previous night, for a 14 hour "headstart" on losing weight. This also made it easier to pack my meals into a smaller period of time so that I wouldn't become hungry as easily. I didn't even become interested in food until 3PM, partly due to Trick #2, which was to stay super busy. I was putting a computer back together which had been destroyed by a virus, and similar to any project which is a challenge, one just kind of "gets into it" and one may not notice the clock spinning around. I just ignored the minor hung pangs at 3PM and 4PM and didn't take a break for dinner until 7PM. I then worked until 11PM and wasn't hungry because the effects of the huge salad which almost filled a four quart glass mixing bowl were still with me. Trick #3 was that I also chewed five sticks of sugarless gum during the day to keep my mouth busy, and three more sticks in the evening. It also reduced stress, even though it may not be the most attractive habit. Today, I've got to finish loading all the software into the computer, so I will be very busy once again!

Breakfast


Snack
Dinner

Monday, August 23, 2004

It's Monday, the start of my "crash" diet to lose perhaps ten pounds (if I'm lucky!) so that I can fit into my clothes again and then eat as much as I want on the cruise scheduled for departure on Saturday, September 4th. I've been a bad boy. I have been letting that little pot come back right under my very nose (and my belly button). It's gotta go, and fast. I was at the supermarket yesterday to buy the provisions to make it disappear (see the David Diet Preparation Page), but this time, I'm going to use some eggs to boost my protein due to the loss of some of the other things I've been eating which filled that role. I'm going to use you, Dear Reader, as my "buddy" to make sure I don't cheat and will update this log each day with my progress, or lack thereof. I'll tell you when I'm struggling and when I feel good about my progress. If you want to join me, this is as good a time as any to start getting in shape for the post-Labor Day "back to work" period.

Breakfast


Snack
Dinner

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