Tuesday, May 30, 2006

I Survived!

I survived the weekend! My in-laws were in town and when they visit, we go out to eat a lot. Friday we ate at Mama's Daughters. Saturday we ate at Jimmy John's and Fogo de Chao. Sunday was a normal day and yesterday we had a big BBQ for Memorial Day.

Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I gulped a glass of water with sugar water. Then I ate a half sandwich from Jimmy John's. I knew I was going to have a big dinner that night, so I tried very hard not to eat much during the day. That night, I took a scoop of everything at the buffet at Fogo. Then I had a sample of pretty much every meat. Boy ... was that delicious. I am a steak-lover. Their steak meat was so tender and delicious. It was a very good meal. I didn't feel so full after dinner. That night I had some ice cream while we played Settlers of Catan.

Sunday was a pretty normal day. I just snacked all day long and really didn't eat a meal.

Monday, I played basketball for two hours, came home, drank my sugar water and then mowed the lawn. After that, we all went swimming at the gym. The water was so nice and so cool. It felt great. Then we stopped by Sonic and got some slushies. That filled me up quite a bit. I had to drink a liter of water to drain all the sugar in my system. That night, we cooked a BBQ. I ate two steaks and a cup of potato salad and some corn. Then I polished off the ice cream while we watched some TV.

This morning was judgement day. On Monday while we were at WalMart, I found a scale and weighed myself. One scale read 217 while another read 215. Either way, I knew I gained a few pounds. So I prepared myself for the worst this morning. After playing basketball and showering, I weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 209.4
Difference: 8.1 lbs since May 1, 2006

That's right on schedule. Two pounds a week for the month.

I think the diet is working for me.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

The March to 185 Continues

I splurged on lunch yesterday. I had two huge helpings of salad with Italian dressing. I also ate about 4 or 5 (small) slices of pizza along with a small slice of apple pie from Mama's Daughters. Suprisingly, I didn't have the "stuffed" feeling after eating all that.

Just as suprising, I wasn't hungry until late last night after class. I wouldn't have eaten anything, but the Mavs/Suns game was on and so while I was watching the game, I ate two pieces of fried chicken.

This morning, I played basketball and had a good workout.

The weigh-in was good. As always, same time of day, same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 210.3
Difference: 7.2 lbs since May 1, 2006

So I lose 3 pounds this week, but really I've only lost about a pound since last week. That darn trip.

If all goes as planned, I should be at 185 on about August 24.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

A Few Pounds Gone

I had a great day on Monday as far as the diet goes.

This morning, I woke up a happy man after the Mavs won one of the most amazing NBA playoff series I've ever seen.

Basketball was a good workout. My plantar faciitis is managable. The inserts help a lot.

After basketball and a nice cold shower, I weighed in.

Same time, same scale with the towl.

WEIGHT: 211.1
Difference: 6.4 lbs since May 1, 2006

Yep, it's official now!

To be honest, I was quite shocked to see the scale tip from 210.9 to 211.1 when I got on it this morning. I was expecting 212 or something around there.

I am quite proud of myself ... yesterday was a co-worker/friend's last day here at work. We gave him a going-away party. The admins had cookies and ice cream. I resisted (eating the cookies and ice cream) and it wasn't hard.

A little commentary on the diet ...

Some might say that I just needed to cut calories and that I didn't need to do the whole Shangri-La thing. To them I say that the Shangri-La diet has given me greater control over my urges to eat. Yes, I am still "hungry" at times, but before doing this diet when I was hungry, I would impulsively eat. And when I ate impulsively, I would eat poorly. Some might say that it's all psychological ... it's all in my head. To them I say ... whatever works.

This diet has given me just the right control and incentive to lose those unwanted pounds. It helps me to discipline my eating habits. It is just what I needed.

Monday, May 22, 2006

A Few Pounds Back

I am sorry to report that after being kicked out, a few pounds infiltrated my system again. I facilitated their infiltration.

The trip to Austin was good. Unfortunately, Rudy's was the main course at my brother-in-law's house for the weekend. His graduation party was Friday night. I had two helpings on Friday and three helpings on Saturday. Then, on our way back home, I bought a berries n cream Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos to keep me awake while I drove.

For the record, I didn't follow the diet at all this weekend.

This morning, I got up and did 30 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes of shooting around.

Weigh-in ... same time, scale & towl ...

WEIGHT: 213.3
Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006

The good news ... I won't have any more road-trips for the rest of the year which means I'll be in my routine for a long time.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Unofficially Good News

We're headed to my brother-in-law's graduation today. As such, I'm working from home today. So when I went to the gym this morning, I didn't take my stuff to shower at the gym and therefore I didn't get to officially weigh myself.

But with all that said, I've weighed myself before with my gym clothes on and it amounts to about 2 extra pounds on the scale. I weighed 213 with my sweaty gyms clothes and basketball shoes on.

Unofficial Weight: ~211
Unofficial Difference: ~6 lbs since May 1, 2006

I was really disappointed that I didn't get an official weigh-in today because I knew today was the day I was going to break the 212 barrier. 212 lbs. was the lowest weight I was able to attain when I was running every day back in 2005.

This weekend will be a challenge. We're going to be with family (going out to eat) and we're going to Seaworld (eating out again). But the good news is that I am really motivated to stick to it. It isn't *hard* to do, but what is difficult is to remember to do the ELOO and SW. One of the most significant aspects of this diet is that it has helped me change my attitude about eating. I feel in control more that before I started this thing.

At this point, I know that the pounds can and will come off. What I'm really interested in finding out is if I can make my goal and if I can keep it off for 6 months.

Stay tuned.

PS ... I bought some Dr. Scholls Heel Pain Relief orthotics yesterday. I was feeling much better at basketball today! I don't think I'll need to stop playing ball because of the PF stuff :-)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Oh so close!

I am so close to 212lbs.

Again, I thought that when I weighed myself this morning, I'd be over (or that I would have gained) but I held steady.

As always, same time, same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 213.1
Difference: 4.4 lbs since May 1, 2006

I didn't eat great this weekend, but I didn't eat so much either. Today should be a really good day.

On the down side, I think I have plantar fasciitis. Tim Duncan had this injury for about 80 games this season and he just barely got over it. This is going to make life very depressing since I won't be able to play basketball for a while. I played this morning, but after the first game, I just couldn't plant my left foot like I wanted to. It hurt to run up and down the court. After reading about this injury on WebMD this morning, I decided that the best thing I can do right now is to let it heal ... do lots of stretches, ice it, stay off it, rest it and take ibuprofen. I think I'll also pay a visit to the sports store and get some inserts for my shoes.

So in the meantime, I'll be riding the bicycle at the gym ... probably for the next month or so.

Monday, May 15, 2006

The Book Review

Should you buy the book? (Do I recommend buying this book?)

My answer depends on what you are wanting to know.

If you just want to know what to do without a whole lot of theory behind the diet, then I suggest going to one of the links to the side (especially the CalorieLab link). You can read and get a feel for what you need to do to live this diet.

But, if you're like me, then you want to know a little more theory behind it to really understand how it works and to base your decisions off of principles rather than a two-step recipie. The book gives you the whole story right from the author himself. He explains the theory in multiple ways. He also goes into other subjects related to the diet such as other ways to achieve the same results.

The book is also a one-stop resource for early success stories from the early-adopter bloggers. Many pages are devoted to what bloggers had to say about this diet.

He also has a chapter devoted to what our society and businesses can do to encourage this diet. He referenced a couple of studies about how our society has become obese. It was a very interesting chapter.

And lastly, his appendix about the science behind the diet was very informative.

Tomorrow is my first of two official weigh-ins this week. I didn't eat too healthily this week. I bought some ice cream and root beer. I only had two root beer floats this weekend. Plus, we made brownies for mother's day. But other than that, I didn't eat a whole lot. I find that I don't eat breakfast or lunch on the weekends. I just have small snacks every two hours or so. Then I end up eating a decent dinner. But today, I had my SW this morning and I'm about to have some ELOO in a few minutes.

Until tomorrow ...

Thursday, May 11, 2006

3 Pounds This Week

I play basketball Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Those are the days that I officially weigh myself. I consider Thursday the end of the week as far as Shangri-La goes.

As I will always state, I weighed myself just as I've always have ... same time of day, same scale, with just a towl around my waist.

Last Week: Thursday May 4 - 216.8
TODAY: Thursday May 11 - 213.3

Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006 (I consider May 1, 2006 as my official starting date)

Typically, this is what I do each day:

8:00am I start drinking water and 1 tbsp of sugar. I don't drink it all at once. I take my time. I'm usually done drinking the sugar water by about 8:45am. Then I make sure I wait an hour before I chew some gum (I'm an Eclipse addict). The rest of the morning, I just drink water.

11:00am or so, I eat a light lunch. Yesterday, I had two slices of pizza and a small apple. I was stuffed. I try to take my time eating. I find that the slower I eat, the sooner I stop. In the afternoon ... more water and gum.

3:00pm (or at least an hour since I spit out my gum) I take 2 tbsp of oil.
Dinner is usually around 5:30-6:00pm. I've been eating salad the last couple of days. I try to make a good salad ... lettuce, cheese, chicken and some wheat crackers. The salad will always fill me up.

Last night, my wife made her famous lemon bars and sugar cookies. I ate 3 cookies and 2 bars. I was expecting to have gained back a pound this morning, but I didn't. Just think if I hadn't eaten that dessert! That is what I need to do better at ... no late night eating (or eating after dinner).

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Continued Progress

I don't know how I'm going to keep coming up with new titles ...

Today I weighed in. I always weigh-in at the same time of day on the same scale with just a towl around my waist.

I'm at 214.4!

I was expecting to be around 215 or 216 (same as last weigh-in.) I played basketball Saturday morning and then worked on a few projects around the house. Sunday, I rested all day. Monday, I worked from home and snacked all day. However, I didn't really eat a big lunch or dinner. Anyway, I was pleasantly shocked to see my weight below 215.

I plan on getting out to the gym more often again, now that school has slowed down a bit.

Last week and again today, I had a glass full of water with 4 tbsp of sugar. I used to eat a packet of oatmeal for breakfast, but now I think I'm just going to use the sugar water in the morning and then have the ELOO in the afternoon.

I'm adding a couple of links to fellow "dieters" in search of Shangri-La.

Good luck to them in their weight-loss goals.

If anyone else stumbles on this blog and has a blog tracking his/her Shangri-La experiences, post a comment and I'll link to your blog.

Thursday, May 4, 2006

Good Signs

So far, it appears to be working.

Yesterday, I had two tbsps of oil. I didn't feel like eating breakfast (usually a cup of oatmeal). I had a small lunch ... apple and some pasta soup. For dinner, I only ate one helping (waffle, 3 small sausages and a little bit of eggs). But later that night, I had a cup of yogurt and some crackers. I think the yogurt and crackers were out of boredom.

This morning's weigh-in ... 216.8. That's the lowest I've been since December. In the recent years, I've been as low as 212. So when I drop below 212, it will be significant.

If I go to the gym tomorrow, I'll post a report. But if I don't go, then I'll post an update on Tuesday the 9th.

Wednesday, May 3, 2006

The Book Arrived This Week

I ordered the official book on the April 27. It came on May 1st.

I just finished a rough semester of school. So now that I have a break, I plan on reading through the book (about 150 pages) this week and next.

I haven't had a chance to weigh in lately. I'll report tomorrow since I'll be going to the gym in the morning.

Just a few things to note early on. Since taking the oil, my desire for food has decreased. I havn't been religious about taking the oil every day. But my first goal is to make it a habit. One considerable difference is my lunch. Before I started this "diet" (lifestyle change would be more accurate) I would pack and eat a huge lunch ... big sandwich, tons of Goldfish crackers, an apple, a yogurt, cheese stick and then some cookie or treat. Now, I just back a small portion (about a handful) of leftovers from the previous night's dinner and an apple. I'm usually full after eating half of my lunch. Sometimes the apple will just sit there until 2pm.

Dinner is changing too. I'm trying to just eat a salad for dinner. When I eat anything else, it is also just a handful portion.

So far so good!